#// until it spiraled out into like 500 other problems

[sanguine-salvation]

hey vik tell us about your flower tattoo

Viktor scrunches their nose a bit, a clear annoyance at the sheer level of entitlement demanded of them.

But then their eyes soften in that dangerous sort of way, and an eerie little smile plays on their lips as their shoulders ease back. It's as good as a threat.

"... Remembrance. Forget-me-nots. You can be clever enough to put it together. Typical, yes, I know. I'll not be taking critiques on it." They sigh and roll their eyes.

"I wanted it. I thought about it. I was desperate for something to hold, to see, to feel real. I thought that if I didn't forget, if I kept putting my nails into the wound and tearing it open, kept looking it in the face, I'd get used to the pain. I'd go numb and happy and it'd all fit together again. That's how it was supposed to work." They laughed. "When it didn't, I tried to forget instead. But, ah, I suppose, just like ink, once it's there, it doesn't go away just because you pretend as hard as you can. Now it's just one of a great many things I promise I won't forget." They smirk and wink, but it lacks the ease of joy.

No, instead, their smile fades as they seem to focus on something else in the distance, intangible to anyone but them. "... there's no room to forget."

[buckyalpine]

Master List

18+ Minors dni

Requests are on pause

🔥 - smut

💔 - angst

🥰 - fluff

One shots 

Live Stream - 🔥💔🥰 When the team doesn’t hear from you or Bucky for hours during a mission, they start to worry about their teammates.

Teach Me -🔥��� Bucky has the answer to your growing frustrations.

Fur Baby -🥰 Bucky has a furry little secret.

Mine - 🔥💔🥰 You show Bucky exactly who he belongs to.

Home -💔🥰 Comforting Bucky after he has an awful day. (Mob Bucky)

Untouched - 🔥🥰 A conversation with your brothers best friend reveals some interesting information. (College Bucky)

Sunshine - 💔🥰 You’re there for everyone, a ray of sunshine whenever the team needs you but whose there for you? (mini part 2) Pudge - 🥰 You are Bucky’s favorite pillow. 

Spicy Plants -  🥰 Bucky finds a special little stash of yours... 

Spicy Brownies - 🥰 He finds another special stash

Spicy Snacks -  🥰 Bucky and Steve discover yummy treats

Bangles and Bordeaux - 🥰 No gown? No problem

Redemption - 💔🥰 Bucky finds the peace he was searching for.

Imagine - 🔥🥰 You go down the fanfiction rabbit hole about a certain super soldier. Would be a shame if he caught you...

Cheeky - 🥰 Bucky Barnes does not back down from a dare (Drunk Bucky) 

I Don’t Wike It - 🥰 Uncle Steve has been spending too much time with your babies

Salacious - 🔥 Dirty talking and pure filth 

Salacious drabble -  🔥 Solo Bucky’s dirty talking and pure filth 

Not a Fan  - 🥰 Alpine is not a fan

Lemonade - 🔥💔🥰 You’re neighbor's son is irresistible Lemonade drabble

Sour - 🔥💔🥰 Bucky doesn't like your visitor (Lemonade AU) 

Deep  - 🔥 giving dom CEO Bucky what he needs. Bad.

7 loads -  🔥 You take care of him. Them. Now they need more. 

Reflection - 🔥💔🥰 You show Bucky how beautiful he is

Missing - 🥰 Bucky’s baby is missing and he will not stop until he finds her

Missing 2 -  🥰 

Let Go - 🔥💔🥰 Touched starved and emotionally repressed Bucky gets his release

Her - 💔 Bucky misses her 

Cute - 🥰 How dare you call him that 

Work Wife - 💔🥰 Why does Bucky talk about her so much? 

Signals - 💔🥰 Your past doesn’t leave that easily 

Practice - 🔥 Your boss doesn’t like to share (soft!dark Bucky)

Pretend -  🥰 The perfect solution to a nagging problem 

Pull out  - 🔥 Bucky doesn’t want to. 

Posies - 🥰 The first times you buy each other flowers 

Touch - 🔥🥰 His beautiful hands 

Count -  🔥Steve can’t help himself 

Justin Capshaw - 🔥🥰 Your sweet boyfriend isn’t the only one who wants you

Safe Space - 💔🥰 Bucky protects you  

Don’t Touch - 🔥🥰 Bucky has to keep his hands to himself 

You had one job - 🔥💔🥰 Bodyguard Bucky has one job 

Craving - 🔥 You crave him so badly, would your husband give you a taste?  

Just a Taste - 🔥 Your husband doesn’t mind watching

Satisfied - 🔥 Your husband and his bestfriend fill that craving 

Drip - 🔥 Bucky just wants to help you clean up

Catch Me If You Can - 💔🥰 Maybe he isn’t so bad 

Catch Me If You Can 2 -  💔🥰 Sometimes, he could be sweet

Catch Me If You Can 3 - 💔🥰 🔥 You caught him, or did he catch you 

Come back to you - 🥰 Time travel brings back 40′s Bucky 

Yours to Claim - 🔥💔🥰 Your first night with the king 

Attention - 🔥🥰 Your mafia husband hasn’t given you any attention lately 

Spiral - 💔 He doesn’t need you anymore. 

Bellini - 🔥🥰 DBF!Bucky shouldn’t be looking at you like that 

Destined to be Yours - 🔥💔🥰 Your lives cross paths when you are captured with the Winter Soldier 

CEO Bucky - 🔥🥰 He knows what his secretary needs 

Barbie -  🥰 Bucky and his little one see Barbie in real life 

Cheating Steve - 🔥💔🥰 Bucky comforts you

Cheating Steve - 🔥💔🥰 How you and Bucky got together

Pick Me - 🔥💔🥰 A new recruit has her eyes on your soldier 

More cheating Steve - 💔🥰 Repost of something I deleted 

One Night - 🔥💔🥰 Bucky can’t forget 

CEO Bucky x Secretary -  🔥🥰 You don’t like people touching what's yours 

My First and Only - 🔥🥰 Mob Bucky waits for his wedding night 

Buttercup - 🥰 Baby Bucky loves his neighbor 

Writing challenge - JESSY REACHES 500; FWB to lovers  💔🥰

Sub Bucky AU - One shots & Drabbles with a subby super soldier 

Baby boy - 🔥🥰 Bucky discovers a new kink

Release - 🔥 Bucky has to take care of himself when he’s away from you

Messy - 🔥 Your needy boyfriend needs his release right in the middle of the store

Can I? -  🔥🥰 You learn a little more about your boyfriends kink

Play -  🔥 Bucky explores a new territory 

Drink  - 🔥 Bucky wants to feed you...

Painting - 🔥 Bucky wants to make a mess 

Pretty Baby - 🔥 Stucky x reader 

Needy  - 🔥 You catch your baby doing something 

Please - 🔥 He needs you to finish 

Untouched au - A series of discovering all your firsts with your brothers hot best friend (continuations of Untouched with College Bucky)

Tongue Twister - 🔥🥰 Bucky goes down on you for the first time

Date Night - 🔥🥰 You show Bucky what your mouth can do

Tipsy - 🔥🥰 A little alcohol and Bucky is insatiable

Call me - 🔥🥰 Bucky is just a phone call away 

New - 🔥🥰 Bucky want’s to try something new 

Make a movie  -  🔥🥰 Bucky wants to record something 

Personal Pillow AU - Can be read together or as one shots 

Personal Pillow - 💔🥰 You are Bucky’s favorite pillow

Personal Pillow 2 - 🥰 Bucky discovers something very interesting  

Personal Pillow 3 - 🔥💔🥰 He doesn’t want his mouth anywhere else (switch!Bucky)

Personal Pillow 4 - 🔥🥰 There’s a little one in your belly and Bucky is more insatiable than ever (pregnant reader)

Personal Pillow 5 -  🔥🥰 Bucky needs a taste

Braxton Hicks  -  🥰

Twins -  🔥🥰

Personal Pillow drabble -  🥰 

Bad habits - 🔥🥰 Bucky’s developed some bad habits

Personal Pillow antics - 💔🥰 Bucky loves his safe place

Wait, What? AU  

Wait, what? - 💔🥰 The secret you’ve been keeping from the team can only be hidden for so long (pregnant reader)

Wait, what? 2 -  🔥💔🥰 A little more back story + baby Barnes! (pregnant reader)

I do (again) Wait, what? 3 -  🥰 Everyone missed the first wedding, obviously you have to have another one

Wait, what? More Babies? -  🔥🥰 The family grows with a little new addition

Series:

Pretty Little Thing (On going) - 🔥💔🥰 Stuck in a forced marriage, you try to accept your life no longer belongs to you however, fate has different plans (Mob Bucky) 

Requests 

Can you not... - 💔🥰 Your ex is trying to win you back, Bucky is having none of that. 

Limitless -  🔥🥰 You let Bucky do anything he wants (Can you not AU) 

Supply Closet -  🔥🥰 Can you not AU 

Hold me -  💔🥰 Bucky comforts you when you’re having a bad day 

Choices -  🔥💔🥰 You walk in on your husband cheating on you (alternative endings)

Choices 2 - 🔥💔🥰  Bucky faces the consequences of his actions 

Boundaries -  🔥💔🥰 You catch Bucky with Sharon (alternative fluffy ending) 

Boundaries 2 - 💔 Angst only part 2 Bonus for this

Smores and Smooches -  🥰 The fire isn’t enough to keep you warm but Bucky’s arms might help

Fake it till you make it -  💔🥰 Fake dating solves everything, right? 

The Party -  🔥🥰 A little three way helps Bucky make a move (part 2)

Safe 1 -  💔🥰 Bucky rescues from Hydra 

Safe 2 -  🔥🥰 A smutty part 2 

Mornings with Mob Bucky - 🔥💔🥰

Pocket Angel -  🥰 Where does Bucky keep sneaking off to? 

Pocket Angel drabble 

Pocket Angel 2 - 💔🥰 What happens when someone takes his angel? 

Fill me - 🔥🥰 A certain super soldiers birthday plus a someone else… (Bucky x You x Frank)

Capture my Heart -  💔🥰 On the run from your abusive ex, a beefy lumberjack comes to your rescue 

Capture my Heart 2 - 🔥🥰 A smutty part 2

Mornings with Lumberjack Bucky - 🔥🥰

Carrying your Love -  🔥🥰 Your super soldier comes with super loads 

Pieces -  💔 TW: child loss 

Sweet Dreams - 🔥 Super soldier wet dreams

Sweet dreams 2 - 🔥 Free use 

My Doll - 💔🥰 TW: Self harm 

Always you - 💔🥰 You’ve always been Bucky’s first choice angst only alternative  alternative happy ending

Own me -  🔥💔🥰 Bucky likes to make you jealous. Should be fine, right? A little extra here. 

Sprinkle - 🥰 It’s Bucky’s birthday 

Pinky -  🥰 Just a tiny bit of touch is more than enough

Want you - 🔥🥰 Bucky only has eyes for you

Sensations - 🔥 Bucky’s arm has some new features 

Inexperienced Bucky drabble - 🔥🥰

Step away - 🔥🥰 A new recruit gets too close for Buckys liking 

His Tags -  🔥💔🥰 Bucky shows you you’re his forever 

Secrets -  💔🥰 Nothing will stop you from dating your super soldier 

Baby Burrito - 💔🥰 Bucky knows how to make you feel better 

I’ll Catch You - 🔥🥰  Bucky never leaves your side after you faint

Witches Brew - 🔥 Bucky and Wanda love to toy with the sweet new avenger

Skin - 💔 Comforting Bucky when he struggles with his body 

Bookmark - 🔥🥰 The team discovers your a writer  

Rockstar Bucky -  🔥

Protect You -  💔🥰 Bucky is all yours 

I’ll hold you  -  💔🥰 TW: Pet loss

Please? - 🥰 Bucky just wants one chance 

Raw -  🔥 Bucky just wants to feel all of you 

Tame -  🔥 Bucky hears you doing...something..

Sparring - 🔥🥰 Two versions, smut and fluff

Stay -  🔥💔🥰 Casual stuff is fun...for a while

Garden Fairy -  🔥🥰 Grumpy Bucky with his little sunshine 

TW: mental health  -  💔

Any time any place - 🔥🥰 Bucky is ready to take you just about anywhere

Daniel - 🥰 Who the hell is he and why do you like him 

Curves - 🔥💔🥰 Bucky shows you how much he loves your body 

Tumblr - 🔥🥰 Bucky discovers you have a kink 

Sugar - 🔥🥰 You take care of your sweet college baby 

Sugar drabble - 🔥 Your baby takes control 

One Night - 🔥🥰 Bucky is smitten with his one night stand 

Intentions - 🔥💔🥰 Bucky knows what he wants from you...right? (mob AU)

Touch Starved - 🔥💔🥰 You think Bucky doesn’t want to be touched after a nightmare 

You came -  💔🥰 The one person he needs 

Hot head - 🔥🥰 Bucky wants you 

Dad Bucky - 🔥🥰 Dad Bucky from A to Z 

Story time - 🥰 Bucky tells your little one about how he fell for you 

Like me -  🔥💔🥰 You just can’t let go of his Henley

Soft - 🔥🥰 Sub space reader  

Size -  🔥🥰 He doesn’t have to be the biggest 

Christmas -  🔥🥰 Christmas with Bucky and your babygirl 

Rude - 🔥💔🥰 Bucky is an asshole to you 

Games - 🔥🥰 A night of games leads to so much more 

Hot and Cold  - 🔥🥰 You can’t stand him, he can’t stand you 

Just friends - 🔥💔🥰 You’re just friends...

Werewolf Bucky -  🔥🥰

Miscommunications - 💔🥰 Did you hear him right? 

Baby making - 🔥🥰 He has to get it on camera 

A little Longer - 🥰 It’s just a little lie 

Disney Princesses and Dog Tags -  🔥💔🥰 Bucky wonders what you’re hiding from him

Bucky and his CEO -  🔥🥰- He takes care of you when you’re stressed 

Drabbles 

My lovely anons

🌺, 🐚, gossip girl, 🧸

[csventbutfaster]

post/669339456447332352/omg-can-yall-please-stop-telling-people-to-stack

Sorry mods, this is a really long one but it kinda ties into the mod reply to this post. I want to speak about my experiences with CS and how it’s impacted my life. I know most people will TL;DR this, but I’m sending it in anyway in the hopes that maybe my experience can help others.

I’m gonna level with you. Telling someone to get help isn’t always ableist, because sometimes those on the outside can see the problems that we can’t. I haven’t been in CS very long, roughly 5 years, but it became a problem for me and being told “get help” was what saved me after I’d put myself in a really bad place both mentally and financially.

From the moment I got my first CS, it very quickly spiraled into an addiction to the point where I was blowing $300+ on characters at least once a month. The feeling I got from buying new characters was pleasant, and I soon started buying any adopt that I liked, not caring about whether it was $5 or $500 because it gave me a quick fix on a bad day, it gave me a high that nothing else could. I’d had an amount of money saved up and a steady paycheck, so even if I was cutting it close at times, I didn’t care. At least, not until my finances started to deteriorate.

I shrugged it off at first, because as long as I had steady income, I felt I could make it work. That wasn’t true. By that point, my addiction to adopts was pushing me into financial ruin, and I let it happen because I couldn’t stand the idea of not having those shiny new pixels. “FOMO” or “fear of missing out,” I think people call it? People told me I was spending too much, and I didn’t believe them. I didn’t believe I had a problem, I truly believed that I was fine. I thought they were just jealous of me being able to buy so many things and that they were trying to restrict me. I even went as far as to cut ties with friends because of it, which I deeply regret.

The first time I went into a negative balance in my bank, it startled me. An IRL emergency came up for my vehicle, and I didn’t have money in my account because I’d spent it on an adopt. Thankfully, my bank lets me go into the negatives to a degree, so I was able to use that to pay for my car. But that also meant that my next paycheck was reduced by the amount I had to go into the negatives. I was still optimistic because it meant the emergency was taken care of, in my mind, “everything was fine.” That was the lie I kept telling myself.

It only got worse from there. Though I could see that there was a problem, I was too afraid to admit it. I didn’t want to sacrifice the thing that made me happy. So I convinced myself it was just a stroke of bad luck and looked the other way, continuing to do what I was doing. My wake up call was an adopt purchase that put me so far into the negatives that a single paycheck was no longer enough to balance it out. In the time since I’d first joined a CS, I’d burned through $4000+ of life savings that I’d been saving since I graduated, plus all applicable paychecks working a minimum wage job, even my credit card had been run up to its limit. I truly had nothing left.

The financial ruin wasn’t all of it either. It was the biggest portion, but not the sole problem. I’d become so entranced in CS that I was also becoming toxic towards other people. I started blocking and shit talking people for buying adopts I wanted, I spoke poorly of people who redesigned their characters in ways I didn’t approve of. I insulted other people’s art, whether it was for MYOs, prompts, or DTAs. All behaviors I’d never done before I became a part of the CS community. It was horrifying. I became someone I didn’t recognize, and I began to hate myself for it. I didn’t want to be a toxic person, but CS and the addiction to them brought out an ugly side of me that I never want to see again.

Realizing what had happened, I finally faced my demons and talked to my family along with a therapist about my spending addiction and general behavior. Not just CS/adopt spending, but spending as a general act because CS weren’t the only thing I splurged on. I sold off most of the CS designs I bought to regain my funds, barring a few designs I kept for personal comfort, and I no longer purchase CS or adopts with money. I only participate in free raffles or giveaways as a means to earn new characters now, though my participation in CS overall has decreased significantly. I’m so much happier now. Getting rid of a lot of my CS and disengaging from the communities has taken a huge burden off of my shoulders.

Being told to get help was truly the best thing anyone did for me. I may have ignored it at first, but I can say with honesty that I really needed it in the end. People get so caught up in things that it consumes them, and it blinds them to how badly it’s impacting their lives. I don’t want other people to fall in as deep as I have, but I know there are others out there on the verge of it. I’ve seen it. Even here on this blog, when I mentioned that I became a toxic person, I see people here exhibiting the same behavior.

Venting about a small gripe is one thing, everyone does it. But I legit see people keeping tabs on others and obsessing over what they do, and it’s unsettling. I worry about some of the anons on this blog because, you might not like to hear this, but you’ve gone beyond simple venting into legitimately toxic behavior. It’s not good. Not for you, not for the person you’re targeting.

If your participation on CS is hindered by your seething hatred towards someone else and what they own/how they participate, or you’re in it just to stalk people and talk shit about them, then you really do need help or some sort of intervention. What you’re doing is no longer healthy. I know, because I experienced it first hand. I’m ashamed of the things I’ve said about people in the past because it was really unwarranted, and I’m trying to be a better person going forward.

Part of the solution is admitting that there’s a problem, and that is a hard step to take when you believe you’re not doing anything wrong. Not everyone who says “get help” is being ableist, and if someone tells you this, it wouldn’t hurt to step back and examine your behavior to see why.

Pixels aren’t worth the toxicity, in the end. If being part of a CS is stressing you out or having any negative impact on you, there’s no harm in logging out and stepping back. A short break is a good cleanser, and if you think going back into it will continue to have negative impacts, it’s okay to completely disengage and find something new. I’m so much happier now that I’m no longer buying characters, and I love that I no longer have the FOMO problem I had before, but I hate that it took me as long as it did to come to terms with how insignificant pixel characters and CS communities are.

After all is said and done, I have only myself to blame for how things turned out. I should have listened when people started pointing out I was going too far, because they saw something I couldn’t until it was too late.

This is a really good post and I know it’s long but I implore you all to read it. Thanks for the submission anon! Glad you’re in a better mental place!

[art-of-love-and-war]

Hi your writing is amazing!! Do you think you could do Masamune with a virgin mc?

Bathed in moonlight

Pairing: Date Masamune x Reader

Rating: Mature (+18)

Word count: 2,649 words

Warning/s: Smut, Sex, Vaginal Sex, Loss of Virginity, First Time, Bathtub sex, all the filth, please do not read if you are not over 18.

Notes: Again I’m so, so sorry it took me way too long to write this. I’ve been through a severe depression, but I’m happy I was able to get myself to write this little by little.   

You looked like a moon goddess with the outline of your silhouette bathed in the moonlight coming from the balcony 

NSFW UNDER THE CUT

He had returned to the room after a busy day with his vassals, normally things were not as eventful but this evening had almost drained all of his energy.

When he asked one of your friends in the castle about you, she told him you had been busy with the other seamstresses on the making for clothes for the winter, and with that he expected you to come back to the room ready to sleep in his arms.

He undressed, wanting nothing more but to take a bath and wait for you in bed later, or better, go outside looking for you like a lost kitty and drag you back with the promise of a good dose of kisses.

Not even a few minutes later, when he was relaxing in the tub full of warm water, you slid the door open and closed it behind you.

“Oops! Should I come later?” You asked with your cheeks tinted with a cute pink shadow.

“Kitten!” Maybe he was too excited about seeing you, but to be fair, you were too after a busy day working on new kimonos.

You smiled at your lover, working your braids out of your hair and taking off the outer layers of your kimono to change into your sleeping robes while trying to not ogle at your naked man in the tub, seeing he was enjoying himself.

Or so you thought until he beckoned you close with his finger and a dangerous glint in his eye,

With a giggle, you approached and sat at the edge of the tub, caressing his face before leaning in to kiss him softly, and he kissed you back with twice of passion. He leaned forward, taking over with control, wrapping an arm around your waist.

You yelled in alert when he lifted you off your place with a single arm and dragging you with him inside the tub until you were sitting on his lap leaving you soaked as you unwillingly joined him.

You smacked him playfully when he laughed, splashing water on his face until everything became a game between you two. Luckily, the water had not spilled out of the tub.

“Welcome, kitten.” He laughed, gently holding you against your body when you smacked him one last time.

“You are such a child.” Looking up at him into his eye made you feel warm inside by just noticing the love he looked at you with.

It didn’t make you nervous to be with him naked at this point of your relationship, and if you thought about it, bathing with him actually sounded nice after the day you had. So you didn’t have any problem with taking your clothes off.

Your clothes came off without a problem until you were bare naked and you could rest against Masamune’s chest, sighing in content. The mere feel of his arms around you holding you, and the warm water relaxing the tension off your body made you feel full and happy.

Those small moments of calm were rare, yet welcome, due to Masamune’s wild nature and need to act like a hurricane. Time stopping like this, was like a small gift you wished you could burn into your memory.

A small yelp left your lips when you felt your lover’s hand running down your back to squeeze your bottom in a playful, yet indecorous way.

You looked up at Masamune, eyes wide and cheeks flaring up when you saw the devilish smirk curving his lips.

It was the same smirk he wore every time you were about to kiss until your lungs were burning for air. It was also the same smirk he gave you every time you groped each other seeking lust that would eventually die down and you would continue with more soft and innocent touches. And he would still shower you non-stop with affection.

And yet, this time you didn’t want to stop the pulsing lust in the air. This time felt right.

With a gentle hand, you touched his cheek, leaning in to press your lips against his. It was a gentle kiss, with your warmth and his, bare skin against bare skin.

“Masamune…” You sighed his name out between kisses he gave you, one after the other, more passionate than the previous ones.

And still, he stopped, pressing your foreheads together in such a loving manner it made your heart melt. But you gave a quiet protest, clinging to him and looking into his eyes.

“I want you. All of you.” Your quiet begs ignited a fire inside him, making a dangerous sparkle show in the blue of his eye.

He hummed, impressed, and grinning, “Right now? Right here?” Masamune emphasized his question by squeezing the supple skin of your bottom once more.

With another kiss the flame started to burn bright.

That repressed desire for each other was there, close enough to be reached with ease.

You kissed Masamune with both passion and love, wanting nothing but to be his forever, to walk around with his love imprinted on your skin and deep into your soul. To never forget how his touch burns your body until you melt into a puddle of lust.

“Yes, please.” You begged, barely parting from his lips, letting your hands wander over the expanse of his broad chest and let out a gasp of pleasure as he did the same thing, letting his hands explore your body.

“I didn’t expect you to be so adventurous, kitten.” He grinned, nuzzling his nose against the crook of your neck and nibbling at your skin with his teeth, leaving small marks on his wake with every kiss, lick, and love bite he delivered.

Threading your fingers through his hair, you chuckled, “I guess you are rubbing off on me.”

You moved to straddle his lap, giggling between playful kisses when you tried to warn him that the water would spill out of the tub and ruin the floor. Yet, he didn’t seem to care, holding you close to his body.

He held your hips, sliding his hands upward to cup your breasts from underneath while his mouth teased at the sensitive skin of your neck, leaving a trail of marks wherever his lips touched. Masamune mouthed at your skin, going down and kissing your clavicles and reaching for your sensitive breasts, which he gave them a gentle squeeze, making you yelp in surprise.

“Please, be gentle.”

“I can’t help it when you are looking at me like that.” Even if he wore a teasing grin he continued to touch you with a more delicate approach, delivering butterfly kisses down your body as much as he could allow himself in the restricted space you were currently in.

Helpless gasps and soft cries of his name left your lips when his mouth closed over your nipple, sucking softly while with his hand he stroked the other into pebbled hardness, sending you down in a spiral of pleasure and sparking a fire within you that couldn’t be controlled if you were to stop this.

Masamune drew you more firmly against his hard body, so tight and so close that you could feel the growing evidence of his arousal resting against your belly. A small moan escaped your lips when he slowly ground his hips against you as if he wasn’t controlling himself as he was solely focused on seeking your pleasure by mapping your body out with his hot tongue.

You really wished that his expert tongue touched and licked other places, wanting nothing more but to feel more of his wonderful mouth exploring other places.

You moved your hips against him, seeking that delicious friction against your core that you so desired just to quench your thirst, but it wouldn't be enough. You wanted it all, all of him and you wanted him to have you and possess you until you were a puddle of molten pleasure.

Masamune was merciless too, holding your hips to push you against him so you could feel the hardness of his shaft between your legs.

"Kitten..." he groaned, looking into your eyes with lust and desire clear into the deep blue of his iris.

"Take me", you begged against his lips and gasping when he bit your lower lip when he took your lips for the millionth time.

Even if he held you desperately against his body, you could still feel the tenderness and the care in his touch.

When he pulled away Masamune let out a chuckle, hearing your whine of protest at the distance. "Hey," he smiled sweetly at you, cupping your chin with his fingers, "Are you sure you want us to go further than this?"

Warmth filled your chest at his concern for you, so you managed to smile at him, trying to encompass your feelings for him in your answer, but doing so would be beyond impossible, "Yes. I want you to touch me, Masamune Date. I want to be completely yours."

"You know, I could wait 500 years more if you ask me to."

"I guess we've already waited that long." With a smile, you placed a chaste, loving kiss to his forehead.

Masamune returned to his sexy, playful self, holding you tight against his body to remind you of his need pulsating against your wet core.

His fingers teased you, parting your folds and giving you a soft caress that sent chills down your spine.

"You can't even imagine the things I want to do with you, kitten," His voice lowered to a deep groan that intensified your senses, making goosebumps appear along your skin in expectation of what he really wanted to do.

A cry of pleasure left your lips suddenly when his fingers found your sensitive clit, yet, be to your disappointment or surprise he didn't linger there much more time.

Taking matters into your own hands, literally, you reached down between his legs, taking a hold of his shaft and letting out a giggle at the surprised look on his face combined with the flush on his cheeks.

‘Not so cocky now, huh, tiger?’ you wanted to say but you were not in a position to be teasing him, you were not even sure you could talk properly.

You gave his cock a hesitant, soft squeeze, pleased at how Masamune stifled a moan from his lips. His shaft was so hard in your hands, and it made you quiver just imagining how it would feel inside you, pressing against your walls.

“I’ve thought of this before,” he confessed, leaning forward to kiss your chest, pressing his lips to where your heart was, “I’ve thought of taking you and make love to you in every way possible. You are just too much.”

With a smile, you lifted yourself up, letting him hold you and guide you until the tip of his cock was pressing against your entrance. “For our first time, I think things are interesting enough.”

Tenderly, he pressed his lips against yours; letting you take control and sink down on him at your own pace, massaging your hips with his fingers to help you relax and ease the tension off your body as you tried to take him, inch by inch.

You bit your lip, clinging to his shoulders when you felt the thickest part of his cock stretching you as you reached the base. You could see in his face how he was also holding himself back when you parted.

He swallowed hard, pressing his fingertips to the soft skin of your sides and letting out a small gasp when your walls trapped him and tightened around him.

If you were a little honest with yourself you expected it to be more painful, it was only a sharp momentarily pain that became just an afterthought after a moment that was filled with soft kisses and soft words whispered against each other’s skin.

Masamune groaned your name, burying his face in the crook of your neck to leave a trail of soft kisses on your flushed skin.

With a moan, you leaned forward, pressing your chest against his. Clinging to his broad shoulders you let out a shaky breath, slowly rocking your hips back and forth to get used to the sensation that was becoming a pleasant heat between your legs.

The feeling of you, so full of him, with your bare skin against his, was like if you were reaching for heaven and that the need you felt for release would leave you walking on clouds. And you were proud to admit that Masamune was the only responsible for that feeling.

Your pleasure belonged to him now.

It belonged to him as he groaned your name helplessly with deep, needy voice while he clung to your hips, setting a slow rhythm when he decided to thrusts up against your movements, forgetting the world around you and only focusing on each other.

How he wished he could ravish you, but tonight was not the appropriate time to make love to you as you deserved, with both of your wild spirits merging as one in the fire of your lust. Yet, he was satisfied with this precious moment with you, holding your body, clinging to you for dear life to give himself to you and to take you for him.

The way your breasts bounced as you moved was hypnotizing, you looked like a moon goddess with the outline of your silhouette bathed in the moonlight coming from the balcony, with the sparkle in your eyes and the needy moans and cries leaving your lips whenever you sat down on him to take all of his length inside you.

A loud mewl that certainly was to be heard throughout the entire castle left your lips, pleasing him greatly as he was the one causing you to make such scandalous yet beautiful noises that he would remember every time.

He rocked against your movements, providing delightful friction that left you breathless, making you feel like you were about to explode at any moment and you were sure you were about to with the growing pressure on your belly and the fireworks exploding behind your eyelids every time you closed your eyes to take in the feelings of him so close and you encompassing him.

When you felt like nothing could be more perfect, Masamune let out the most passionate sound of rippling pleasure against your neck as he sucked on your skin to leave a mark you’d need to hide the next day. The sound echoing and bouncing against the walls back to you sent shivers down your spine and goosebumps appear over the expanse of your skin.

And even if Masamune’s sounds of pleasure made him appear vulnerable, he managed to still look cocky as his hand went down where your bodies met and merged as one to caress your sensitive clit and send you down in a violent wave that could only be explained as time itself stopping.

Your body trembled and you weren’t sure if you had screamed his name out of rippling pleasure, you only knew that your lover had claimed your lips in a passionate and messy kiss, letting your tongues dance at the melody of your obscene sounds as you reached your peak together.

Your nails buried deep into his skin, feeling the aftershocks of your orgasm your body shook and you seemed to gain control over it again, feeling the soreness of your thighs for the bouncing, the pulsating contractions of your walls around him and how the water had gotten cold.

And yet you could only focus on Masamune’s deep blue eye as he looked back at you, smiling and trailing his hands all over your body to just hold you and don’t let you go.

The moon continued to provide light to just catch the glimpse of the undying love into each other’s eyes.

[eqt-95]

One Night in Gotham

Summary | On the eve of taking over as the CEO of L-Corp, Lena Luthor makes a trip across the bay to Gotham to see an old friend.

-----

"Now what is a delicate flower like you doing all alone at the bar?"

Lena stifled a sigh of annoyance at the brazenness of strangers. This kind of thing wouldn't happen in Metropolis.

"Can I buy you a drink?"

Lena silently lifted her glass, indicating none was required.

Her eyes flitted up toward the bartender distracted by another patron, and she wondered for a moment how this man had been allowed into the private hotel bar. This was interrupted by the sound of the high-back chair next to her scraping against the marble flooring followed by the creak of the stranger posting up next to her. He reeked of booze and sounded winded by the exertion of the simple gesture.

"Well then perhaps I'll just buy myself a drink and enjoy the view," he smiled, exposing yellow-stained teeth behind the grizzly shag that covered his cheeks and chin.

No, this kind of thing would never happen in Metropolis.

"I'd rather you didn't."

"Free country, honey," he chuckled into a cough that echoed with the wetness of two packs a day.

Lena was used to all kinds of people. Although few and far between some were genuinely kind. Some were naive fools who could be talked out of house and home. Others were snake-oil salesmen, hiding behind earnestness. And then there were those who lacked any sort of self-awareness, boldly trying to claim what wasn't theirs in the process. These were the kind of people she'd spent the last few weeks battling, and she was exhausted from it.

She opened her mouth to articulate how unwelcome his presence was when a warm hand landed on her shoulder.

"Hey babe," came a voice behind her, and Lena smirked.

"Darling, you made it," Lena replied, turning in her seat toward the tall figure clad in leather with a helmet dangling from one hand.

"Sorry I'm late," came an apology.

Before Lena could play it off, she was caught by the feel of lips were pressed against her own. She peripherally heard the clatter of the helmet land on the bar before two warm hands slid up, cupping her face and turning the quick kiss into something more entirely. Initial surprise faded into confusion which then faded into the warm, flush lips on hers and the tongue greedily fighting for something more. She gave in on instinct, and was rewarded with the slight nip against her bottom lip and the unfamiliar taste of Kate Kane.

Whether time had suspended or continued to tick away, Lena wasn't certain, but when Kate finally pulled back and their eyes met she felt an unexpected warmth at the mischief glowing back at her.

"Can I help you?" Kate asked, finally breaking from Lena and turning to the stranger.

His face had frozen, stuck in a contorted look of envy and disgust. "N-no."

"No? Great," Kate continued smoothly. "Do you mind though? Because you're in my seat."

Lena glanced back at her half-empty drink trying to contain the smile that threatened to break at the man's discomfort. A few begrudging seconds passed before the figure folded and heaved himself out of the chair, sauntering off toward the far, empty end of the bar.

The long fingers that had just sent Lena's cheeks flush slid around her glass, lifting it to her nose before smirking and tossing the rest back.

"You have good taste," Kate remarked, setting the empty glass back down and waving over the bartender.

"Do you normally use that much tongue?"

"I was trying to make a point."

"I think a hug would have sufficed plenty."

"This is Gotham. We're more animalistic here; nothing like your fancy Metropolis folk," Kate smirked, ordering another pair of Scotches. "You can't mince words otherwise you leave them with deranged hope."

"That's not my problem."

"It isn't until you're leaving at the end of the night and get yanked into a dark alley because he's been lingering for hours taking that last remaining thread of hope and weaving it into some deep-seeded, confounding belief that you were meant for him."

"Speaking from experience?"

Kate shrugged.

"So instead you go for a full make-out session in the middle of a very public hotel bar."

"You're a quick study, Luthor."

Lena hummed impatiently.

"Besides, now I've got something to strike off my bucket list."

"What's that?"

"Lena Kieran Luthor kissed me."

"I'd hardly say that. I believe you instigated, and I was struck in a moment of surprise."

"I think the word you're looking for is 'wooed'. I wooed you."

A stoic look with a hint of skepticism stared back at Kate.

"How long have we known each other?"

"I think that depends on what you mean by 'known'."

"And in all those years," Kate continued, ignoring Lena's analytical response, "how many times have you been floored by my charm?"

"Never once. Not even in the slightest," Lena deadpanned.

Kate scoffed in exaggerated disbelief. "You have, you're just too uptight to have any fun. What about that time I punched Lex?"

"I was eight."

"Your point?"

"Mostly I was mortified."

"I bet that's even the word you used to describe it. Did you walk out of the womb a genius?"

"You joke, but Mother was outraged. To this day she practically spits whenever she hears the Kane name."

"Is she still alive?" Kate smirked into her glass. "It's not my fault she raised such an egotistical snob. Beth told him 'no' a dozen times. If he couldn't hear words, I figured he could hear a fist crushing his nose."

"That's not how he tells it."

"Because he can point to so much precedent for honesty," Kate replied dryly. Lena felt herself flinch, and Kate's demeanor softened. "Sorry."

"He wasn't always an ass."

"Sometimes people just… spiral."

"Speaking of, are you back for good?"

Kate shook her head. "Just passing through."

"Special occasion?"

"A wedding," she answered, quickly draining the rest of her drink.

"Was it nice?"

"Don't know." The empty glass was lifted toward the bartender. "Just leave the bottle."

This was the part of Kate that Lena loved and hated. They were both raised in over-sized homes with curated lifestyles and a litany of archaic topics they could talk endlessly about, but the concept of speaking about their personal lives was a loss to both of them. It was a familiar feeling that echoed deep into Lena's core, and she took no offense to Kate's aloofness - she was cut from the same cloth.

"Where to next?"

"France," she answered.

"Sounds romantic."

"Sure," Kate chuckled at some unspoken joke.

"Does anyone else actually know you're in town?"

Kate shook her head again.

"You've been away for a while."

"Miss me?" Kate smirked, and Lena saw the telltale signs of deflection through humor. Yes, they were practically carbon copies of each other. Different around the edges, but traces of the same upbringing formed matching foundations.

"Haven't had the time."

It was honesty that would seem cryptic to anyone else, but Kate nodded in understanding.

They sat in silence for a moment, Kate shuffling the glass across the smooth, lacquered finish of the bar.

"When do you-"

"Next week," Lena interrupted with a practiced tone.

"Nervous?"

"I am excited about the potential of-" Lena began before catching Kate's unamused expression. It was enough to silence the curated response she'd spouted for weeks to reporters, board members, and potential funders. "Yes."

It was a single word, but it was an admission she'd kept contained in a tiny box under the mountain of to-dos that guided her days and late nights. She glanced down at the dwindling drink in front of her, suddenly appreciative Kate had the foresight to keep the bottle.

"Good," Kate replied, now swirling the glass between her fingers.

"Good?"

"I'd be worried if you weren't."

"That's not how some would see it."

"Lillian doesn't really get a say."

"Mother isn't the only resistance. God knows I've stopped trying to prove anything to her, but it's more than just her now. It's board members. It's the public. It's the very people employed by the company. I am… I am not ready for this."

Lena didn't know where the admission was coming from, but now it felt like a spigot had been pulled open, and every reservation she had about becoming the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

"I'm 22," she said, and it felt like a confession - like no one had uncovered this hidden truth about Lena, and she was one big headline away from the rug being pulled from under her.

"You know what I was doing when I was 22?" Kate asked, preemptively refilling Lena's drink. "I was getting kicked out of school and spending my nights bouncing from one dive bar to another."

"I'm not sure what your point is, but I think it serves my argument better than yours," Lena scowled. "22 year-olds shouldn't be in charge of anything."

"My point is, you're not normal," Kate clarified. "If I was asked to run a company at 22, I'd be an idiot not to run in the opposite direction. But that's because I was a normal 22 year-old. One hundred percent of the world was a normal 22 year-old."

"Again, I'm not sure your argument is-"

"The reason it's one hundred percent is because I'm rounding. I'd need to rattle off, like, a hundred nines to make my point. You're the one in seven billion meant to do this."

"Seven."

"What?"

"Seven nines. After the decimal."

Kate stared dumbly for a moment before breaking in laughter. "You really are a freak. And you've just made my point for me."

"Mental math isn't a reason."

"No, but your persistence is."

"Haven't you heard? I'm a Luthor; can't be trusted."

Kate sighed, and Lena watched her mentally struggle to find the words to say. It was different than other times Lena had met Kate. Granted, they weren't close. After Lex's nose was bloodied and Lillian's disdain made known, the Kanes and Luthors rarely interacted. From that point on, the majority of their interactions were limited to formal galas and parties of similarly rich families, bouncing from one side of the bay to the other in their efforts to impress the extents of their wealth onto others. Kate always had a knack for slipping out and getting into some sort of trouble while Lena was petrified at the thought of disappointing Lillian.

When Kate's sister and mother died, Lena 'had the audacity' to ask if they would attend the funerals. Lillian refused, but Lex persuaded her otherwise, suggesting that it would be politically good to show sympathy for the Kane family. It was perverse but worked, and Lena was eternally grateful. It was that dark day that struck up an uncanny relationship between the Kane and the Luthor.

It had been nearly three years since their paths had crossed - the longest stretch of time since Kate was thirteen and Lena ten. Lena knew Kate's absence was due to world-traveling, but the details were sparse. Whispers at the latest galas spoke of general disappointment for the Kane daughter. Like Lena, Kate was the black sheep. Unlike Lena, Kate didn't seem to care.

"You're a Luthor, yes," Kate began. "You're honestly from a pretty shitty family. I have first-hand experience, and even without that the headlines have done a damn good job at making the average person aware of it. The company is in shatters, Lex is going to prison, and Lillian isn't human. I mean, she's really truly terrible. Like… is she human? Because when we were kids, I half wondered."

"That's not really-"

"Hang on, I'm getting off topic," Kate waved away. "Yes, you're a Luthor. Yes, the world is against you. Yes, it'll be hard; I won't even pretend to know how you'll do it, but you will. I also know I'm not saying anything you can't deduce on your own. I won't waste our time with talk of your talent, your genius, your raw determination, or the sacrifices you're making to turn Lex's sins into something good. Those reassurances mean nothing to you because you aren't ready to see it yet, and I'm not the person who can help you hear it."

"That's not even remotely close to advice, not to mention helpful advice."

"I didn't say it would be advice or helpful. If it was, I'd charge you for it."

"Are you offering?"

"Are you paying?"

"Depends on the advice."

"Clever. We'll make a decent CEO out of you yet."

Conversation flowed more easily from there. The edges were softened and the curated exteriors peeled back as the bottle slowly dwindled into nothing. The void of years spent apart was slowly filled in with stories of failures, happy accidents, lovers, and reminiscing.

There was an easy comfort with Kate that always took hold; she wasn't trying to pretend to be anything special and there were never any expectations. It made for a breath of fresh air when Lena's world revolved around accuracy, planning ahead, and keeping face. Kate lived life like a game of casual checkers. Lena lived her's for the chess match it was. But for one night, on the eve of her formally stepping into her new life, she played checkers.

Lena should have known better than to assume the interaction would end after a single drink, and she was only slightly surprised when the bartender came by with the bill. She looked around realizing the bar had emptied; for how long it had been just the two of them she didn't know. She also didn't care.

They paid the tab but lingered a while longer, fighting off the real world for a few precious moments until finally, the staff politely advised that, while they didn't have to go home, they couldn't stay here.

"You aren't driving, right?" Lena asked, gesturing at the helmet left forgotten on the bar.

"No, 'here' is home tonight," Kate replied lightly, albeit with a slight slur.

"I'm sure your dad would like to see you."

"Jacob would like a lot of things."

Lena nodded, recognizing the window had closed.

"Any chance I can woo you again, Ms. Luthor?" Kate asked with a cheesy smirk. "I've got a fancy suite with a bed and stuff."

Yes, the light-heartedness was still there but it fell into their respective roles.

"That's your pick-up line? I expected more from you."

Kate pondered for a moment. "Ok, how about this: I wasn't sure if you were a beautiful angel or a sexy devil, but now that I'm close, I see heaven in your eyes."

"Does that actually work?"

"Fifty-fifty? A guy used it on me once."

"And?"

"Well, obviously it didn't work with him, but I tried it a few nights later… and, yea," Kate smirked, "it worked."

"Years at Military school, and you didn't lose an ounce of confidence," Lena sighed, tossing back the rest of her own drink and grabbing her jacket.

The entrance came far too quickly, and the door swung open to reveal the murkiness of the city night beyond.

"Huh, it's raining," Kate said, gesturing for Lena to exit ahead of her.

"It's pouring."

"It's Gotham."

"It never rains this much in Metropolis." Lena mumbled it in frustration, trying to excuse her lack of preparedness to the foreignness of her surroundings.

The sound of a soft click and thwoop came, followed by an invisible shield deflecting the incoming rain drops. Lena glanced up and saw the city was blocked out by a stretch of black fabric.

"How are you getting back?" Kate asked, holding the handle of the umbrella suspended over them.

"My driver should be here in a minute."

Kate whistled softly, muted by the avalanche of raining falling around them. "Fancy CEO privileges."

Lena forced a smile, feeling the familiar pull of stress and weight of worry return to her shoulders. She glanced back at the hotel lobby; the warm light, the soft chairs, the comforting sting of alcohol, and the laughter. For a moment she had forgotten, and in this moment she wanted to forget again.

"You'll be great. And I hope one day you'll find someone who can get you to see who you are Lena. You're a Luthor, yes, but you're so much more than a name."

Lena's eyes were pulled back to the voice next to her, and she found herself staring into Kate's piercing green eyes. Even through the haze of alcohol they were focused and confident. Focused was something Lena was very familiar with; confidence though? Hardly. Years of Lillian's cutting words had stripped her of that. But in depriving her of it, she'd acquired something better: persistence.

Kate's gaze didn't waver. Instead something else appeared, and it took all of Lena's brain to comprehend what it was: it was admiration. It was unfamiliar, and if it weren't for years of being trained as a Luthor, she'd have averted her eyes to the nearest distraction.

"If you're ever in National City, give me a ring."

"And if you're ever back in Gotham-"

"Unlikely."

"-immediately turn around and leave," Kate finished, and Lena felt her lips fight against her facade to curl into a smile at the deprecating humor. "Besides, I won't be around so who is there to see?"

"I'm sure any one of the millions of Gothamites would be a suitable substitute for Kate Kane."

"At least you didn't include the entire world."

"Only because you didn't offer," Lena shot back, and for a moment the masks fell back off, and they let laughter be swallowed into the city around them.

It settled when a black car slowed to a stop in front of them, and Lena felt the tug of life return.

"As usual, you've gotten me tipsier than I'd planned, Kate Kane."

"It was my pleasure Lena Luthor," Kate smiled, reaching for the car door and swinging it open.

Lena hesitated, feeling the wash of new car smell and air conditioning waft from the car and mix with the city and humidity. Her fingers gripped the edge of the door, feeling the drips of water mix with the dirt that had accumulated.

She didn't know the words to say to express her appreciation. Kindness wasn't something she'd been exposed to and so never quite knew how to articulate the swirling, changing web of emotions that fought to be seen. A life of compartmentalizing had cast these feelings off into the tiniest of boxes in the shadow of her mind, and she knew that a week from now the warmth and friendship she felt tonight would be a distant memory. It wasn't enough to change her, but it was enough to remind her that she could.

"Thank you," she said before stretching up on her toes to close the gap between her lips and Kate's cheek, leaving a soft kiss and silencing Kate before she could cast back a signature sarcastic response. "Now you can strike it off your bucket list."

- eqt_95 on ao3

[jeranasblog]

The Virus

Notes:  If you have huge anxieties regarding Covid, please don't read this. It's an apocalyptic setting.

Rating: E

Pairing: Peter Parker/ Tony Stark

Summary:  Three years ago, a virus killed 99% of the human population. It came out of nowhere, taking over cities, countries, and continents. During two months, more and more people died until no one knew where they could bury all the dead bodies anymore. When the virus was finally eradicated, 1% of the population was left, 1% resistant or lucky, and those 1% started to build-up the world they knew again. Peter Stark was one of the 1%.

But even though Peter was considered ‘lucky’, he had lost everyone. His friends, his family, even his husband. Tony Stark died three years ago, didn’t he?

Warnings: Apocalypse, Post-Apocalypse, Virus, Death, Character Death before the story begins, Sensitive Topic, Smut, check the tags on Ao3, please

Read on Ao3

Three years ago, a virus killed 99% of the human population. It came out of nowhere, taking over cities, countries, and continents. During two months, more and more people died until no one knew where they could bury all the dead bodies anymore. Hospitals had closed because no doctor was willing to risk their life, supermarkets turned into battlefields and everyone was left on their own. What started with something that was compared to the flu, ended in chaos, despair, and death. 

 After a while, people gave up. There was no protection, no escape. A small part of humanity was resistant, but since the disease had destroyed too much to even think about an antidote, people accepted the world as it was. Virologists couldn’t even search for a vaccine because it spread too fast.

 The pandemic lasted a year before almost everyone was dead and the virus was eradicated as well. 1% of the population was left, 1% resistant or lucky, and those 1% started to build-up the world they knew again. Peter Stark was one of the 1%.

Happiness was rare these days. Peter had lost everything over the last three years. His aunt May was one of the first ones dying due to the virus, and his best friends Nat and MJ followed quickly after. His husband, Tony Stark, had been on a business trip in China when the virus spread, and Peter couldn’t even say good-bye to him before Tony died like everyone else around him, alone in a country with no one he knew. 

 Peter was a lucky man. He was resistant. He didn’t die, even though the virus had hit him too. But completely alone, Peter didn’t feel lucky at all. Instead, he clung to everything that connected him to his past. The necklace May had always worn, a friendship bracelet he had made together with Ned and MJ in second grade, and most importantly, his wedding ring that he didn’t even take off to shower. It was the last connection to his husband and he would defend it with his life.

 Every day was hard. He lived in a small settlement with 500 people. New York had been hit particularly bad, so there weren’t many people left. Peter needed them because he knew shit about hunting, collecting, and surviving in the wild. They needed Peter because he was an engineer and could help them get access to technology back. He had already built multiple generators that produced electricity for the most important things and communication devices for the people going out every day. 

 Mostly, Peter stayed for himself. He lived in a small hut, surrounded by all his engineer toys, and only came out if he had to. Peter knew he hadn’t adjusted well, knew he was one of the ones clinging to the past, but he couldn’t imagine a happy life without Tony. The only people he was talking to were Bucky and Steve, two married men who had magically survived both, and his inspector Nat.  

 Life was quiet. The settlement had only rarely problems with hostile groups, and conflicts were reduced to a minimum. It wasn’t like it had been before, but a lot of people got a second chance. A chance to survive and be happy again. But Peter couldn’t be happy. Not without Tony. 

 ~*~

 “Hey, Pete. What’s up?” Bucky asked him one day when he visited Peter in his hut. “Stevie and I went on an expedition and we found some stuff for you.” He placed a backpack in front of them that was filled to the brim

 Peter eyed it suspiciously. “Anything interesting?”

 Bucky gave him one of his bright smiles that made Peter’s gut clench and reminded him how lucky the other man had been. Steve was here while Tony was dead somewhere in China, probably alone in a fancy hotel room. Bucky still had his husband. Bucky only had to adjust to new circumstances because Steve was still by his side. Before Peter’s thoughts started to spiral again, he pulled himself back to reality. A reality without his husband. 

 “Let’s see, Petey.” Bucky rummaged in the bag and pulled out a few electrical devices. “We have another radio, headphones for wires, and an old laptop that still seems to work.”

 Peter raised his eyebrows. “How do you know it’s still working?” 

 The laugh Peter got in response was so carefree, it made him sick. “Stevie, the punk, had turned it on and the battery wasn’t empty. It worked. Trust me.” 

 Hot jealousy surged through his gut, but Peter forced himself to smile too. Bucky was so clearly in love, but Peter could only think about his own misery. What kind of friend was he? 

 “That’s great, thanks, Buck. I’ll see what I can do with it. Say hi to Steve for me. I still have work to do.”

 The mood shifted. It was a clear dismissal and Bucky understood it as such. Peter knew it wasn’t fair, but he couldn’t stand other people’s happiness on bad days. And today was a bad day.

 Thankfully, the other man didn’t take his mood swings personally and only gave him a pitiful smile. Before Bucky left, he put a hand on Peter’s shoulder. “Peter, I really like you, but you’re killing yourself with that. Don’t you think it’s time to try to move on?”

 Bucky was right. Of course, he was right. But even thinking about taking off his wedding ring, even thinking about moving on, made Peter feel as if he would betray Tony. He once had sworn ‘forever’ to his husband and forever wasn’t over yet. Bucky couldn’t understand, he still had Steve. 

 So Peter forced his expression to stay blank. “One day, Bucky. Just not yet.” Both of them knew it was a lie. 

 ~*~

 The settlement they lived in was small. It was well structured and everyone had their specialized tasks, but they still depended on other settlements for trade. Especially when the winter came, and the food supplies had to be stocked. So Peter spent his days building communication devices to stay in touch with other settlements. 

 The things Bucky had brought him proved to be quite helpful, so around noon, Peter could bring a newly built communication device to Nat, the woman who was responsible for trade and his inspector at the same time. She and Steve were the leaders of their group. 

 Her so-called office was next to the gate of the settlement, a hut with a radio-station on a desk in the middle. It had been Peter’s first project, and thanks to him, they could now communicate with the settlement in Philadelphia and after a few upgrades, even with Boston and DC. 

 Nat sat on the chair in front of their radio station and turned his head when Peter entered the room. “Pete, do you have more of your toys for me?” Peter knew she was just joking. Nat had told him a while ago that she was grateful for his work.

 “Always, Nat. Bucky and Steve found a radio and even a laptop. It’s still working.”

 She whistled and gave him an impressed smirk. “You don’t see that every day.”

 Nat was right. After the virus, none of them had thought about electrical devices and when they actively started searching for them, most of them had already been useless.

 “I’ve rebuilt the radio into another communication device.” Peter placed the walkie talkie on her desk. “It’s improvised, but we can still sell it.”

 She gave him an honest smile which was rare for Nat. “Thanks, Peter. We can trade that for food. Helps us getting over the winter.”  

 He shrugged and tried not to think about the upcoming winter. They would make it through, they always did, but the expeditions would stop and therefore also his work. He always had something to do, but not enough to keep the thoughts away all day long. Last year, he had spent three months in bed, crying over Tony. 

 “Peter!” Oh, no. Her voice was filled with concern. Of course, she could sense his sadness. 

 Even though he tried to cover it with a fake smile, Nat wasn’t as easy to get rid of as Bucky. “I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

 She pressed her lips together and Peter could see the familiar frown on her face. “Peter, don’t you think it’s time to move on?”

 No, it’s not time to move on. It will never be time to move on, not without Tony. He was Peter’s husband, god damn it. Marriage! As in forever. Not for three years until Peter would find someone else. Why didn’t they all just leave him alone?

 “Soon, Nat. I’ll get over it soon.” Another lie, and just like Bucky, Nat didn’t believe him.

 “Peter, you’ll never make progress if-”

 Thankfully, a scratching noise interrupted her. “...-ello? Is there someo-...? Can you hear-...”

 Immediately, Nat let Peter go and gave the radio station her entire attention. “Hello? Is someone there? Here is settlement 513 in New York. Can you hear me? I repeat, can you hear me?”

 For a second, there was no answer and Peter had already thought the communication broke, but after a few seconds, the voice spoke again.

 “Hello? Do you hear me?” This time the transmission was better and Peter could hear that a man was speaking. “We are two, we need help.”

 Nat gave him a look that indicated he should stay but be quiet and Peter nodded to signal her he understood. Making contact with strangers was always a risk because there were a few outlaw groups in the wilderness that survived by hi-jacking settlements. Still, every now and then, travelers reached out to them for various reasons. 

 “Yes, we can hear you.” Her voice was neutral.

 The scratching flared up again, but Peter could still hear the voice clearly. “My companion is hurt. We need help. We can trade tech for our lives. Please, give us protection.”

 Nat hesitated. On the one hand, they needed more tech. The communication device Peter built secured their survival because they didn’t grow enough vegetables to get by themselves. Other settlements depended on them thanks to their tech and they always needed more. Still, trusting strangers was always a risk.

 In the end, Nat decided to keep their location hidden and sent people for them instead. “Where are you?”

 “Where the Passaic River flows into Newark Bay,” the scratchy voice answered. 

 That wasn’t too far away, maybe a six hours walk. Eight if they travel with baggage.  

 “We will see what we can do. Give us a day.”

 “Please, bring a doctor.” There was still hope in the man’s voice.

 ~*~

 In the end, Nat and Steve, the leader of the village, decided to send six people to look for the injured strangers. Dr. Cho to treat possible injuries, Peter to check out the usefulness of the tech and four warriors who would protect them, including Bucky. Peter was glad for the trip. Every second he had something to do was a second he didn’t spend thinking about Tony. 

 He grabbed his backpack, filled it with water, food, and tools like a screwdriver and tongs before he closed the door of his hut and walked over to the gate. They met there at dawn and Peter was glad he put on his winter clothes because autumn was coming to an end. Slowly, it became colder and colder.

 “You’ve packed everything you need?” Bucky asked him when he arrived and Peter nodded with a small smile. He was glad the man came with him because he trusted Bucky with his life.

 They kept walking and walking and walking. Through overgrown streets, bridges that had already collapsed, and past ruins that had once been houses New York had been so proud of. Now, it was just empty. Everything useful had already been taken, leaving behind a sea of waste, bones, and dust. 

 Peter swallowed when he walked through the streets. They reminded him of the life he had lost, of May, Ned, MJ, and Tony. Once, he had loved the streets of New York, loved the crowds of people and the busy atmosphere. Now there was nothing more left but death. 

 Bucky knew about his disgust, so he did everything to distract him from the city. He told him about the last time he went hunting with Steve, told him about the alarm clock Peter had given him for his birthday because it was a hardship to wake Steve up before noon. He actually managed to make Peter smile and when they finally took a break around noon, Peter’s mood had lightened up a little. 

 They ate and sat down for half an hour before they decided to keep going again. A few years ago, a group of the settlement had built a small shelter close to Newark Bay. If they wanted to get through the night safely, they would have to pick up the two persons and bring them there. It wasn’t safe to sleep under the stars anymore, so they had to hurry before it got dark.

 After humanity had disappeared, nature came back. The forests were green again, animals went back to their natural habitats and the country became quiet. But with nature came also the danger. Wild animals like bears and wolves so they had to be careful again. Raiders, so desperate, they didn’t back off from hurting them. The night was their greatest enemy. 

 “It’s not much longer,” one of the warriors announced and Peter exhaled in relief. “Just around the corner and maybe half a mile. Be careful now. We don’t know if we walk into a trap.”

 All conversations died down and they paid attention to the noises they made. The closer they came to Newark Bay, the more nervous Peter became. He wanted to tag along, wanted to go on expeditions, but there was always a risk and his stomach fluttered with fear. He was exhausted, the walk had been a long one, but if they would get more tech and save lives, it would be worth it in the end. Just a little longer. Maybe ten minutes. 

 When they finally reached the point the man had described, Peter could see two silhouettes in the distance. A woman that sat on the ground, her arms clutching her leg that was probably injured, and a man standing next to her, looking around with a concerned expression. 

 They walked closer, carefully looking out for possible traps, but there seemed to be no danger. Eventually, the man noticed them too. 

 “Oh, God bless. You didn’t leave us alone.”

 Peter immediately froze. He knew the voice. It was as familiar as his own. Bucky, who had walked behind him, bumped into him and cursed, but Peter couldn’t move an inch. That’s it. He was slowly losing his mind. Maybe Nat’s and Bucky’s concern was valid, and he started to go crazy. That couldn’t be true. He was dreaming. 

 The man kept talking. “Please, we need your help. Pepper is hurt. We were attacked by raiders. They shot her in the leg. It’s inflamed and doesn’t look good. Could you-”

 It was the moment the man raised his head and his gaze fell on Peter. The man’s eyes widened and he froze as well before he started to tear up and ran towards them. Bucky raised his gun and pointed it at the man, afraid they would get attacked, but it was a single word that made him lower it again. 

 Peter let out this one word before everything went black. 

 “Tony.”

 ~*~

 When Peter opened his eyes again, he thought he was dreaming. They were in a hut that looked like the settlement’s shelter next to Newark Bay, but he was embraced by his husband's strong arms. Tony was dead. There was no way Peter could be in his arms again.

 “Peter, are you awake?” It was Tony’s voice. Peter covered his ears with his hands because he couldn’t stand the soothing sound. He was going crazy for sure. 

 “Open your eyes again, baby.” Peter shook his head. “Please, Peter. Let me see you. I love you.”

 The words were too much. Peter crumbled. He opened his eyes and looked up, seeing the familiar face right in front of him. Tony looked older, a few more wrinkles around the eyes and a small scar above his right eyebrow, but otherwise he looked exactly as Peter remembered. 

 “You’re dead.” It was a statement to convince Peter of his own sanity.

 Tony pulled him tighter against his chest and Peter inhaled the familiar scent of pinewood and coffee. “Oh, baby. I’m not dead. I’m sorry it took me so long to come back.”

 “But you died. In China.” Peter knew he was right. It was a hallucination. But why was the hallucination smelling so good? 

 “Sweetheart, I didn’t die in China. I’m lucky, I’m resistant.”

 No, no, no. Tony Stark was dead. Peter had been alone for three years now. “But you weren’t here.”

 Peter could see Tony swallowing after his words and a hand started to play with his hair. A hand that felt so real that Peter shuddered.

 “And I’m really sorry about that, Peter. After the virus spread, transportation was difficult. Planes didn’t fly anymore, ships didn’t sail. Baby, it took me three years to build a plane myself, three years to learn how to fly and navigate, to come back to you. Please, forgive me. I love you, I’ll always love you.”

 Oh, God. It was the moment Peter realized this was real. His vision was too clear for a dream, the smell too strong and the pain on his forearm too sharp. Peter crumbled. He started to sob and clutched Tony’s shirt to pull him even closer. This was real. Tony was real. Tony was back. 

 Peter pressed his lips on his husband’s clumsily. Tony tasted salty, like the tears that didn’t stop running down Peter’s face, but it was perfect. The lips were familiar, and Peter relaxed for the first time in years when Tony pulled him onto his lap. 

 “T-they told me I h-had to get over you. I c-couldn’t. I love you so m-much. Don’t ever leave me again.” Peter didn’t care that he sounded desperate. He had never dared to dream about meeting Tony again. He hadn’t let himself. 

 But now, he got him back, got the second chance he was always waiting for. Suddenly, he grinned like he hadn’t grinned during the last three years. It was the first time he felt like being lucky. 

 He pressed his lips back onto Tony’s, this time with less force. He opened his mouth, inviting Tony to capture his mouth. It felt like before. Tony’s lips were still the same, still addictive. Peter could feel himself twitching inside his pants. He wrapped his arms around Tony’s chest, stopping him from moving away. 

 Before the kiss could get too heated, they were interrupted by a knock. “Peter?” Bucky stood in the doorway. “As much as I don’t begrudge you meeting Tony again, don’t make out on the bed. We only have two in the hut which means a lot of cuddling tonight.” The smile on Bucky’s face showed him the man wasn’t serious. 

 Peter giggled, a sound he hadn’t made in front of Bucky before, and the warrior gave Tony a smirk in return. 

 “I see, you have already transformed Peter into another person. Nice to meet you. I’m Bucky. One of the few people you husband has been talking to.” Tony shook Bucky’s hand with a crinkle around his eyes.

 “Hey, that's not true,” Peter protested. He had talked to Bucky, Steve, and Nat. Three people were more than a few.

 Bucky raised his eyebrows. “It is true. You’ve been moping.”

 Of course, Tony pulled Peter closer when Bucky confirmed that Peter hadn’t coped well with the loss. He turned Peter on his lap so that they both faced Bucky who sat down on the bed as well. “Baby, I’m here now. No reason to be upset anymore.” How could Peter stay mad when his husband was with him again? His smile turned even brighter. 

 Bucky made a gagging noise and pulled them out of their bubble.

 Peter hissed at him. “Oh, be quiet. You and Steve are no better.”

 “It’s not my fault Stevie is clingy,” Bucky said, his voice mockingly shocked. 

 Now it was on Peter to raise his eyebrows. “Steve is clingy? Who didn’t want to let him go on a mission last week.”

 “It could have been dangerous.”

 Peter’s voice was dry when he responded. “He had to chop wood.”

 “Outside of the settlement.”

 “Right next to the gate.”

 Now, Bucky was pouting and his expression made Tony laugh loudly. God, Peter had missed the sound and he turned his head to press another kiss onto his husband’s lips. 

 “Whatever, Tony, how have your last years been?” It was obvious that Bucky wanted to stop them from making out again. 

 “Well, I was in a hotel when the virus spread. The authorities forced us to stay inside. It didn’t help. They all died anyway. When no food came after a few days, I left the room anyway. Found out everyone was dead.” The man swallowed before he continued speaking. “Pepper was in the hotel as well. She’s resistant, just like me. We both wanted to go back to the States, so she helped me build a plane by keeping me sane. We’re both from New York. The plan was to look for Peter, but then we stumbled into raiders and she got shot.”

 “How is she?” Peter had completely forgotten about her injury after his blackout. 

 “She’s fine,” Bucky answered. “Cho is treating her. She’ll stay here for a few days until she’s stable enough to be moved.” Peter was relieved. Even though he didn’t know her, Pepper was a friend of Tony, so he cared. 

 “So, we’re all gonna stay here until she’s better?”

 Bucky shook his head. “No, we need you to go home. Winter is coming soon and someone has to work on communication devices, so we can trade them for enough food.”

 On the one hand, Peter was glad to go home again, but he didn’t want to leave Tony behind. “What about-?” He couldn’t finish his sentence because his gaze got caught on Tony. 

 “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll come with you. I trust your people. Pepper will be safe.” 

 Peter gave his husband a smile in return. Nothing could separate him from Tony anymore. He would hold onto his chance of being happy. 

 ~*~

 Time passed so much faster on their way home. Peter was ecstatic. He kept smiling, laughing loudly, and he even exchanged a few words with one of the warriors. Bucky observed him with a fond expression the entire time, and Peter knew he was really lucky to have him as a friend. 

 Peter’s focus, on the other hand, was entirely on Tony. He held his husband's hand, unwilling to ever let him go. Suddenly, the overgrown streets of New York didn’t look so empty anymore. There was new life. Little butterflies, hedgehogs, and Peter could swear he had even seen a deer. Yes, humanity wasn’t what it had been before, but they were on a good way to build the world back up again.

 As much better as the walk was with Tony by his side, Peter still wanted to be home, alone with Tony in his hut. Walking close to his husband without really being able to touch him was like torture and Peter knew Tony suffered as well. 

 He could see it in the way Tony’s gaze was glued to his face, his thighs, his ass. Every time Peter laughed, Tony watched his throat bobbing, eyes darker than the night sky. Every time Peter talked, Tony’s eyes were fixed on his mouth, building up tension until Peter couldn’t stop his tongue from darting out and wetting his lips. And when Peter climbed over a broken car in front of Tony, his ass a temptation in front of his husband’s face, Peter could even hear him growl. 

 Three years had been a long time. They might have changed with all the misery, all the suffering around them, but the attraction for each other hasn’t lessened at all. Suddenly, Peter's thoughts were back to how it had been in the past. How close they had been, how obsessed. He couldn’t wait to finally get home. 

 When the settlement was already visible in the distance, Tony had successfully turned him into a mess, with nothing but longing gazes and occasional touches. Peter was still glowing with happiness, even though arousal was slowly taking over his mind. 

 After they had entered the gate, Nate took one look at them and started to smirk. Bucky had probably already told her about Tony via the communication advice, and Peter could see in her face how happy she was for him. And maybe he could also see that she noticed the pent-up state he was in. 

 “You wanna give me a mission report Peter?” She was totally mocking him, but Peter still gave her a pitiful look. Maybe his puppy dog eyes would convince her to leave him alone with his husband. 

 “My, my. Tony Stark. He’s clearly another man when he’s around you.” Tony gave Nat an honest smile. “Peter, Tony, I’m happy for you. And now go, before we all see something, we wouldn’t forget anytime soon.”

 Peter blushed. He hadn’t done anything, he hadn’t even touched his husband in front of them. Tony, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care about her attempts of embarrassing Peter. Instead, he pulled Peter into his arms and didn’t stop asking until Nat told him in front of everyone where Peter’s hut was. Tony had never tried to keep their sex life hidden. 

 “I’m gonna be inside of you again, tonight,” Tony promised as they walked - okay, almost ran- towards Peter’s hut. “I’ve dreamed about this for years, baby. I need you so much. I need to feel that you’re mine.”

 And of course, Peter let out a loud moan just when one of the residents crossed their way. He’s going to die of embarrassment tomorrow. 

 “I’ve always been yours, Daddy,” Peter whispered and Tony groaned in response to the familiar name. “Even when I thought you were dead. I never thought about anyone but you.”

 “You’re gonna be the death of me, sweet thing,” Tony cursed, but Peter could hear the fondness and the tears in his voice. The probability of them meeting again had been so small, but somehow, fate had made it possible. 

 When Peter opened the door of his hut, Tony was already all over his back, pressing him against the wood and sucking bruises on his skin. It was a challenge to open the lock while his Daddy whispered into his ear how good Peter had been, how obedient. With each new mark, more delicious pain blossomed on his neck and Peter’s legs almost gave in. 

 Eventually, the door fell close behind him. Every last bit of patience Tony had crumbled, and a second later, Peter was pressed against the wooden wall. His Daddy had almost shoved him and the impact pressed all the air out of Peter’s lungs. He loved it, finally feeling owned again, finally feeling overpowered again. 

 Tony was like an animal in his arousal, his focus solely on the prey. His eyes were black, lust taking over the chocolate brown, and Peter gave into the storm. He tipped his head to give his husband access to his throat and closed his eyes in pleasure. Peter’s body was burning, screaming and crying for Tony, for his touch. 

 It was the ripping of fabric that made Peter open his eyes again. “Daddy.” His words could barely be described as a whine, so turned on by Tony’s impatience. Three years had been so long and Peter was dying to finally feel his husband again. “Take me to bed, please.”

 Tony growled in response, letting Peter go for a second, so they could stumble towards the bed. Peter was already half-naked. His pants were torn from his Daddy’s attempts to feel his skin and it slid down his legs as he walked over to the bed. He kicked off his shoes and pulled his t-shirt over his head, so the only clothing left were his boxers. 

 “Take them off,” Tony ordered and grabbed Peter’s arm so he couldn’t climb onto the bed. “I can’t wait anymore, sweet thing. I want you naked on the bed, hands and knees.”

 Peter whimpered in response, his hands shaking with arousal as he undressed completely. He could feel Tony’s gaze on his body. Hungry, demanding, impatient, and it only urged him on to present faster.

 Settling into the familiar pose on the bed felt like coming home. Peter rested his head on his crossed arms, his back arched beautifully while his legs were spread to give his Daddy access to every part of him. It was exactly like back then, when they fucked on Tony’s expensive sheets, even though it was almost better now. Peter had never been more grateful to have his husband by his side. 

 “Daddy.” Peter whimpered pathetically, trying to signal his husband he needed him, that he couldn’t wait any longer. He wanted to feel him again, wanted to be split open and used until everything he knew was Tony. Thankfully, his husband was just as impatient. 

 “Sweet thing, do you have some kind of lube?” His Daddy’s voice was dark, edging towards a growl, and Peter’s muscles clenched in response to the unrestricted dominance.

 “Box.” Peter pointed to a wooden box next to the bed, and Tony opened it, pulling out a new bottle of lube. He lifted his eyebrows and smirked at Peter. 

 “Did you pleasure yourself, baby? Did you stretch yourself thinking of me?”

 Peter shook his head. “I haven’t, Daddy. It felt wrong without you. I took the bottle when we plundered a supermarket, but I couldn’t use it.”

 Clearly, his words seemed to please Tony. “Let me remind you that you belong to me, baby. Come on, show me where you need me.”

 Peter spread his legs even wider and arched his back even further. He knew being on his best behavior would be the fastest way to get his Daddy’s cock, so he listened to every single command like the good boy he was. 

 Tony settled behind him and his hands began to roam over his entire body. He started at Peter’s shoulders, stroking his back and wandering lower until he could press his thumbs into the dimples on Peter’s back. The grip made Peter sob in pleasure, exactly like it had always done, and the familiarity was relief and torture at the same time. Tony knew every single one of his buttons, and he wasn’t afraid to press them. 

 Not even a minute later, Peter was a mess. The touch was too much, too good, and he twisted on the mattress, barely able to hold the position. He needed to feel his Daddy, needed to know that Tony was back, that he wasn’t alone. 

 “Daddy, please. I love you. Need you, please.” 

 Peter was so desperate, that he didn’t hear the click of an opening lube bottle and the slick finger was a welcomed surprise. His body sucked him in, one finger had never been a challenge for him, even though he hadn’t been split open for three years. 

 “Look at that,” Tony cooed while his finger thrust in and out of Peter’s hole in a maddening pace, savoring the tightness and the wet squelch of the lube. “So greedy. Sucking me right in. I’ve almost forgotten what a slut you are.”

 It was a lie, Tony wouldn’t forget, but it still hit Peter exactly where Tony intended. “Your slut, Daddy. Only yours, missed you so much.” Peter wanted to prove to his husband how needy he could be, how desperate for Tony’s touch. Their time apart hadn’t changed their dynamic a single bit. 

 One finger became two. Tony opened him up thoroughly, making sure Peter could take his husband’s cock, but at the same time, he touched Peter’s body everywhere with his free hand. It was the desperate wish to feel that it was over, that they were together now, and every second Peter felt connected to Tony, he believed more and more that it was real. 

 “Gimme three, Daddy? Please?” Tony answered with a growl and another finger that was pressed inside of him. 

 Finally, Peter felt a resemblance of being full again, open and stretched, even though he hadn’t gotten his Daddy’s cock yet. It was only a matter of time. Peter could feel it in the way Tony’s fingers trembled in impatience and his voice wavered while he whispered filthy things in Peter’s ear. He only needed to take one tiny step and Tony would break. 

 Peter turned his head, looking at Tony with innocent eyes. “My hole hurt, Daddy. It’s empty. Need to feel your cock again. Need you to mark me up inside too.”

 Just as he had thought, it was the last straw. Tony pulled out his fingers and opened his pants hastily, freeing the gorgeous cock Peter had missed so much. It was thick and red, slightly curved to the left and Peter couldn’t wait to feel every inch and every bump. He moaned from the sight alone. 

 Tony chuckled. “Do you like what you see, baby?” The question was such a cliché, but Peter whimpered and nodded affirmatively. He loved his Daddy’s cock and couldn’t wait to feel it inside him. 

 But unfortunately, Tony was a tease. He towered above Peter and blanketed him with his body, cock shining with lube. Peter expected him to press right in, but Tony dragged it out, his cockhead dancing around Peter’s fluttering rim. In the end, he only gave Peter the tip. 

 The denial made Peter sob. “Daddy, please, I- I need you. I c-can’t wait.” He tried to press his hips back, tried to get more friction, but Tony successfully blocked his movements with his entire body. Peter felt him everywhere, Tony’s legs against his spread thighs, Tony’s chest pressed against his back. He felt him everywhere but inside of him, the place he needed his husband the most. 

 “Tell me what you need, sweet thing.” The whisper was another tease, and Tony pulled back, only to press the tip back in. It was maddening. 

 In the end, Peter broke. He started to sob, his entire body pleading to be claimed while he struggled to get his words together. “D-Daddy, m’your slut. Need you. Need your cock. All of it. Gimme more.”

 The words were too demanding, but Tony was lenient. He turned Peter’s head to the side, his hand buried in the brown curls, and at the same time their lips met, Tony pressed in. 

 Peter started to cry. Everything came together. The delicious pain of finally being stretched again, the burning arousal, and his Daddy who was back at his side. Not dead but alive. Tears ran down his face, dripping onto the mattress and joining their kiss. Suddenly, their lips tasted salty. 

 “Are you alright, sweet thing? Does it hurt? Should I stop?” Peter could see the worry on Tony’s face and he soothed him with a beautiful smile. 

 “Don’t stop, please don’t stop. I need you. So much. It’s not about the pain. It’s about you being back here, with me. Promise me you’ll never leave.”

 Tony smiled back, so beautiful and blinding that Peter’s tears came anew. “I’m here, baby. I’ll stay. Forever. Feel that?” Tony sat back on his heels, pulling Peter up so he sat on his lap and his cock slid even deeper. “I’m everywhere, baby. Inside you, around you, where I belong. Bounce for me now. I wanna claim you properly.”

 Peter listened like he always did. His hands propped on Tony’s knees, Peter started moving, circling his hips and riding his husband's cock. He could feel every inch of Tony dragging along his walls, the tip occasionally hitting his sweet spot and it didn’t take long for him to moan so loudly, that the entire settlement would hear his sounds. Tony didn’t even try to muffle him, staking his claim in more ways than the marking of Peter’s body. 

 Peter had almost forgotten how good it felt. Everything was on the verge of being too much. His body burned with pleasure, his hole throbbed and his walls clenched around the cock needily. The muscles of his legs were straining, but he couldn’t stop chasing the delicious friction. 

 Tony dragged it out. He watched him struggle, whispering in his ear how good he was, how obedient. Peter wanted more, but his body was weak, his mind clouded by the endorphins and he desperately needed his Daddy to take over. 

 Eventually, Tony pressed him on the mattress again, rutting into him like an animal and chasing the overwhelming feeling. The friction against the sheets was enough for his neglected cock and faster than Peter wanted, his orgasm came close. 

 “Daddy, please, I’m close. Can I come?” Peter’s voice was high-pitched and needy, begging his Daddy for permission. Three years had done its toll and there wasn’t a single ounce of patience left. He would die if his Daddy denied him. 

 Thankfully, Tony knew Peter’s body very well, so he saw the signs that Peter couldn’t go on any longer. “Come for me, baby.” 

 It was the obscene squelch of the lube, the accelerating thrusts, and the light pain. Everything mixed together, taking Peter higher and higher until he exploded. Wave after wave of pleasure shook his body, and Peter was crying his orgasm out to the world. 

 He had missed this so much, missed the mind-blowing sensations, the feeling of being at someone else's mercy, and most of all, he had missed the closeness to his husband. Peter wasn’t alone anymore. Tony would guide him, he would catch him and he would take over every time the responsibilities would become too much. 

 Knowing Tony was there for him made Peter relax into the mattress. His entire body became limp, all the tension dropping off, only the muscles in his hole were still fluttering. Peter wasn’t done yet. He needed his Daddy’s seed. Needed to be claimed inside, on top of the marks on his neck, and the ring on his finger. 

 “Such a good boy. I’ve forgotten how good you feel, baby,” Tony’s voice was nothing but a growl and Peter knew he was close as well. “Gonna fill you up, stay in you for days. Just take it, sweet thing. Take your Daddy and show me you’re born for it.”

 Peter obeyed. He didn’t pull back, even when he became sensitive, even when Tony’s tip hit his sweet spot, again and again, his body rebelling with overstimulation. He took it because he wanted to be claimed, wanted proof that his husband was back.  

 When Tony came Peter preened. The sensation of Tony’s come splashing against his walls made Peter proud of himself. He had been good and he had taken everything. Now he was allowed to keep it, buried deep inside of him. 

 Tony pulled out, and cuddled Peter against his chest, whispering sweet words into his ears. Peter was out. This wasn’t a dream. This was reality. If he would fall asleep now, Tony would still be there when he woke up. Content with the thought, Peter let the praise wash over him. 

 “Do you want me to clean you up?” Tony asked but didn’t make any attempts to stand up.

 Peter shook his head. “Want to feel you inside me a little longer, Daddy.”

 Tony’s smile was a mixture of fondness and possessiveness. “I’ll never leave your side, baby. Not for a mission, not for anyone in the world. I couldn’t stand losing you or being separated again. Promise me you’ll stay with me, too.”

 “I promise, Daddy.”

 They fell into content silence. Peter could feel everything. His Daddy’s body wrapped around him, his seed stored safely inside Peter’s hole. He never wanted to let Tony go again. No, he would build up the world again with Tony by his side. 

 For the first time in three years, Peter had a goal. He would do everything possible to get humanity back to what it had been before. As long as Tony would be by his side. 

 ~*~

 During the first few weeks, Tony didn’t leave Peter’s side once, not even for half an hour. He settled in perfectly, working together with Peter on communication devices and the regain of technology. Peter loved it. Besides Tony being his husband, the man was also a brilliant engineer and Peter realized how much he had missed bantering about tech. 

 After some time, Tony managed to improve the radio station until they were connected to every settlement on the east coast. Settlement 513 in New York became the center of communication. They were known for their access to tech and their life-saving devices. Tony and Peter even worked on a plan to reach out further, maybe even the other side of the country. 

 Life wasn’t easy. The winters were hard, but their little group had developed a routine to get through. Nat and Steve worked hard to organize enough food, and Pepper, who had stayed as well, turned out to be a brilliant businesswoman, and soon, she managed the trade. 

 Every few weeks, new people came to their settlement, and eventually, Peter felt as if he was living in a small village again. Sometimes he forgot the virus, forgot what it had done to all of them, especially when he spent time with Tony alone. It was almost like before the apocalypse, even though there were still days on which he missed his past badly. He couldn’t get May back, would never see Ned and MJ again, but he had Tony now and it was enough. 

 It was almost half a year after Tony had come back, that Peter woke up in the morning and Tony pressed a cup of coffee into his hands, his face lit up with a smile. Coffee was a rare treat these days and one of the few things Peter missed daily. 

 “Is there something to celebrate?” Peter asked curiously while he took a sip and closed his eyes in pleasure. 

 Tony pulled him into his arms and pressed a kiss on his forehead. “Do you know what day we have?”

 Peter shook his head. Dates had become irrelevant after some time, but Nat still had a calendar in her office and she tracked time almost religiously. 

 “It’s our wedding anniversary, baby.”

 The words made Peter’s stomach flutter and he leaned closer towards his husband. They were married for five years now. Five years of which they had spent half apart. But it didn’t matter. Tony was back with him, and he wouldn’t leave. 

 “I love you so much, Peter. I would marry you again and again if I could. I would do anything for you. I would move heaven and earth if necessary, just to be at your side.”

 Peter teared up. He felt the same. He would do anything for his husband. Anything. 

 But before he could reciprocate the confession, Tony spoke up again. “And I have a surprise for you.”

 “A surprise?” Suddenly, the coffee was almost forgotten.

 Tony walked over to their desk, picked up the blueprints he had worked on for months, and spread them on the bed in front of Peter. “Did you remember the arch technology I told you about before the virus happened?”

 Peter remembered broadly. Tony had tried to create clean energy for years before the pandemic had scattered all of their plans. “You mean the reactor that could power an entire city without any fossil fuels?”

 Tony smiled at him. “Not only without fossil fuels but without wind, water and sun either.”

 Peter lifted his brow impressed. “That would solve many of our problems.”

 The smile of his husband only got brighter. “Peter, I think I have found a way to build a reactor strong enough to power the entire settlement without any supply shortfalls in the winter. I think I can make a step towards building up the world how it has been again. Maybe even better.”

 Peter looked at him, his eyes widened in surprise when Tony fell on his knees in front of the bed.

 “Peter Stark, would you do me the honor and build the first arc reactor with me? I want to give you the world you deserve.”

 “Jerk,” Peter snorted, but he still grinned at his husband when he pulled Tony onto the bed, back into his arms. 

 “I will.”

[arcticdementor]

I love NYC. When I first moved to NYC it was a dream come true. Every corner was like a theater production happening right in front of me. So much personality, so many stories.

Every subculture I loved was in NYC. I could play chess all day and night. I could go to comedy clubs. I could start any type of business. I could meet people. I had family, friends, opportunities. No matter what happened to me, NYC was a net I could fall back on and bounce back up.

Now it's completely dead. "But NYC always always bounces back." No. Not this time. "But NYC is the center of the financial universe. Opportunities will flourish here again." Not this time.

"NYC has experienced worse". No it hasn't.

…

Three of the most important reasons to move to NYC:

- business opportunities

- culture

- food

…

Midtown Manhattan, the center of business in NYC, is empty. Even though people can go back to work, famous office buildings like the Time Life skyscraper is still 90% empty. Businesses realized that they don't need their employees at the office.

In fact, they realize they are even more productive without everyone back to the office. The Time Life building can handle 8,000 workers. Now it maybe has 500 workers back.

…

"What do you mean?" a friend of mine said to me when I told him 'Midtown should be called 'Ghost Town', "I'm in my office right now!"

"What are you doing there?"

"Packing up," he said and laughed, "I'm shutting it down." He works in the entertainment business.

Another friend of mine works at a major investment bank as a managing director. Before the pandemic he was at the office every day, sometimes working from 6am to 10pm.

Now he lives in Phoenix, Arizona. "As of June," he told me, "I had never even been to Phoenix." And then he moved there. He does all his meetings on Zoom.

I was talking to a book editor who has been out of the city since early March. "We've been all working fine. I'm not sure why we would need to go back to the office."

One friend of mine, Derek Halpern, was convinced he'd stay. He put up a Facebook post the other day saying he might be changing his mind.

…

People say, "NYC has been through worse" or "NYC has always come back."

No and no.

First, when has NYC been through worse?

Even in the 1970s, and through the 80s, when NYC was going bankrupt, and even when it was the crime capital of the US or close to it, it was still the capital of the business world (meaning: it was the primary place young people would go to build wealth and find opportunity), it was culturally on top of its game - home to artists, theater, media, advertising, publishing, and it was probably the food capital of the US.

…

In early March, many people (not me), left NYC when they felt it would provide safety from the virus and they no longer needed to go to work and all the restaurants were closed. People figured, "I'll get out for a month or two and then come back."

They are all still gone.

And then in June, during rioting and looting a second wave of NYC-ers (this time me) left. I have kids. Nothing was wrong with the protests but I was a little nervous when I saw videos of rioters after curfew trying to break into my building.

…

…

Summary: Businesses are remote and they aren't returning to the office. And it's a death spiral: the longer offices remain empty, the longer they will remain empty.

In 2005, a hedge fund manager was visiting my office and said, "In Manhattan you practically trip over opportunities in the street."

Now the streets are empty.

…

I co-own a comedy club, Standup NY, on 78th and Broadway. I'm very very proud of the club and grateful to my fellow owners Dani Zoldan and Gabe Waldman and our manager Jon Boreamayo. It's a great club. It's been around since 1986 and before that it was a theater.

One time, Henry Winkler stopped by to come on my podcast. He was the one who told me it had been a theater.

He said, "I grew up two doors down from here and used to perform in here as a kid. Then I went out to LA to be the Fonz and now I'm back here, full circle, to be on your podcast. This place has history." Things like that happen in NYC.

…

I love the club. Before the pandemic I would perform there throughout the week in addition to many other clubs around the city and in the past few months, clubs in: Chicago, Denver, San Jose, LA, Cincinnati, all over the Netherlands, and other places.

I miss it.

…

That said, we have no idea when we will open. Nobody has any idea. And the longer we close, the less chance we will ever reopen profitably.

Broadway is closed until at least the Spring. Lincoln Center is closed. All the museums are closed.

Forget about the tens of thousands of jobs lost in these cultural centers. Forget even about the millions of dollars of tourist and tourist-generated revenues lost by the closing of these centers.

There are thousands of performers, producers, artists, and the entire ecosystem of art, theater, production, curation, that surrounds these cultural centers. People who have worked all of their lives for the right to be able to perform even once on Broadway whose lives and careers have been put on hold.

I get it. There was a pandemic.

But the question now is: what happens next? And, given the uncertainty (since there is no known answer), and given the fact that people, cities, economies, loathe uncertainty, we simply don't know the answer and that's a bad thing for New York City.

…

My favorite restaurant is closed for good. Ok, let's go to my second favorite. Closed for good. Third favorite, closed for good.

I thought the PPP was supposed to help. No? What about emergency relief? No. Stimulus checks? Unemployment? No and no. Ok, my fourth favorite, or what about that place I always ordered delivery from? No and no.

Around Late May I took walks and saw that many places were boarded up. Ok, I thought, because the protesting was leading to looting and the restaurants were protecting themselves. They'll be ok.

Looking closer I'd see the signs. For Lease. For Rent. For whatever.

Before the pandemic, the average restaurant had only 16 days of cash on hand. Some had more (McDonalds), and some had less (the local mom-and-pop Greek diner).

Yelp estimates that 60% of restaurants around the United States have closed.

My guess is more than 60% will be closed in New York City but who knows.

Someone said to me, "Well, people will want to come in now and start their own restaurants! There is less competition."

I don't think you understand how restaurants work.

…

If the restaurants are no longer clustered, fewer people go out to eat (they are on the fence about where so they elect to stay home). Restaurants breed more restaurants.

And again, what happens to all the employees who work at these restaurants? They are gone. They left New York City. Where did they go? I know a lot of people who went to Maine, Vermont, Tennessee, upstate, Indiana, etc - back to live with their parents or live with friends or live cheaper. They are gone and gone for good.

And what person wakes up today and says, "I can't wait to set up a pizza place in the location where 100,000 other pizza places just closed down." People are going to wait awhile and see. They want to make sure the virus is gone, or there's a vaccine, or there's a profitable business model.

Or...even worse.

…

If building owners and landlords lose their prime tenants (the store fronts on the bottom floor, the offices on the middle floors, the well-to-do on the top floors, etc) then they go out of business.

And what happens when they go out of business?

Nothing actually. And that's the bad news.

People who would have rented or bought say, "Hmmm, everyone is saying NYC is heading back to the 1970s, so even though prices might be 50% lower than they were a year ago, I think I will wait a bit more. Better safe than sorry!"

And then with everyone waiting... prices go down. So people see prices go down and they say, "Good thing I waited. But what happens if I wait even more!" And they wait and then prices go down more.

This is called a deflationary spiral. People wait. Prices go down. Nobody really wins. Because the landlords or owners go broke. Less money gets spent on the city. Nobody moves in so there is no motion in the markets. And people already owning in the area and can afford to hang on, have to wait longer for a return of restaurants, services, etc that they were used to.

Well, will prices go down low enough everyone buys?

Answer: Maybe. Maybe not. Some people can afford to hang on but not afford to sell. So they wait. Other people will go bankrupt and there will be litigation, which creates other problems for real estate in the area. And the big borrowers and lenders may need a bailout of some sort or face mass bankruptcy. Who knows what will happen?

…

I lived three blocks from Ground Zero on 9/11. Downtown, where I lived, was destroyed, but it came roaring back within two years. Such sadness and hardship and then quickly that area became the most attractive area in New York.

And in 2008/2009, much suffering during the Great Recession, again much hardship, but things came roaring back.

But...this time it's different. You're never supposed to say that but this time it's true. If you believe this time is no different, that NYC is resilient, etc I hope you're right.

I don't benefit from saying any of this. I love NYC. I was born there. I've lived there forever. I STILL live there. I love everything about NYC. I want 2019 back.

But this time it's different.

One reason: bandwidth.

In 2008, average bandwidth speeds were 3 megabits per second. That's not enough for a Zoom meeting with reliable video quality. Now, it's over 20 megabits per second. That's more than enough for high quality video.

There's a before and after. BEFORE: no remote work. AFTER: everyone can remote work.

…

Everyone has spent the past five months adapting to a new lifestyle. Nobody wants to fly across the country for a two hour meeting when you can do it just as well on Zoom. I can go see "live comedy" on Zoom. I can take classes from the best teachers in the world for almost free online as opposed to paying $70,000 a year for a limited number of teachers who may or may not be good.

Everyone has choices now. You can live in the music capital of Nashville, you can live in the "next Silicon Valley" of Austin. You can live in your hometown in the middle of wherever. And you can be just as productive, make the same salary, have higher quality of life with a cheaper cost to live.

…

Wait for events and conferences and even meetings and maybe even office spaces to start happening in virtual realities once everyone is spread out from midtown Manhattan to all over the country.

The quality of restaurants will start to go up in all the second and then third tier cities as talent and skill flow to the places that can quickly make use of them.

Ditto for cultural events.

And then people will ask, "wait a second - I was paying over 16% in state and city taxes and these other states and cities have little to no taxes? And I don't have to deal with all the other headaches of NYC?"

Because there are headaches in NYC. Lots of them. It's just we sweep them under the table because so much else has been good there.

NYC has a $9 billion deficit. A billion more than the Mayor thought they were going to have. How does a city pay back its debts? The main way is aid from the state. But the state deficit just went bonkers. Then is taxes. But if 900,000 estimated jobs are lost in NYC and tens of thousands of businesses, then that means less taxes unless taxes are raised.

…

What reason will people have to go back to NYC? 

[shieldwinter]

Stucky Fic Rec [Part Three]

Part Three of the fic rec coming at you! Sorry for it coming so late in the day - I was finishing up reading a fic that I wanted to add to this part!  I do only add fics that I’ve read, and enjoyed, to this rec so (once again) there will be few, if any, ABO and Shrinkyclink fics!  As always; I will provide the Google Doc link where I update the rec regularly, but if you’d prefer it formatted here on tumblr, it is under the cut! If you want to recommend fics, go for it!

Google Doc Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10wqr5s-CzkFzLidQgt-y4-cjudHWwVeVPWCedMjK7t0/edit

Don’t Leave Me Asunder

        Word Count: 31.1k         Rating: Teen and Up         Notable Tags: Shrunkyclunks, Veteran!Bucky, Amputee!Bucky         Warnings: None         Synopsis: Like many other war veterans, Bucky Barnes is alone. He doesn't talk to his family, he has no friends and his only human interactions are with his cleaning crew from Avengers Tower. Plagued by nightmares and pain, he lives each day in isolation. Until the Avengers bring their fight at home and Bucky gets to meet the famous Captain America. To his surprise, both their lives change forever after that.

Far Strayed

       Word Count: 18.3k        Rating: Mature        Notable Tags: Post CACW, Pre Infinity War        Warnings: None        Synopsis:  “They’re not going to stop coming after me,” Bucky tells Steve, somewhere in the air above Siberia. “Let them come,” Steve replies, furious still.  After Siberia, instead of seeking refuge in Wakanda, Bucky and Steve go on the run.

All My Chances Again

         Word Count: 20.6k          Rating: Explicit          Notable Tags: Time Travel, Endgame Fix-It          Warnings: Smut          Synopsis: I love him, Steve thinks into the spiraling ether; I love him; let me tell him. Give me the chance to set that one thing right. If I can’t rest for saving him, let me give him all of me and hope that it’s enough. Or; Steve gets lost in the time matrix, and begs for an out. Seems confession is good for the soul—or so he hopes.

I, Barnes 

        Word Count: 76.7k         Rating: Explicit         Notable Tags: Bi!Steve, Bi!Bucky, Period-Typical Homophobia         Warnings: Heavy Smut, Talk of Suicide, Non-Consenual Vouyerism, Panic Attacks          Synopsis: When Steve finally finds Bucky and brings him home to New York, their reunion doesn't go as planned. Bucky disappears into the bowels of the tower, avoiding Steve at all costs. Bucky believes himself to be broken beyond repair, unworthy of any contact with Steve Rogers. But having finally gotten a taste of being around Steve again, Bucky can't just leave - he needs Steve. In ways he believes prove he's a monster unfit to live.

If Steve Rogers Were Your Boyfriend 

          Word Count: 70.2k           Rating: Mature           Notable Tags: Cafe!AU, Barista!Steve, Author!Bucky           Warnings: Abusive Relationship (not Steve and Bucky)            Synopsis: When he's not editing a magazine he truly loathes or navigating a rocky relationship he truly doesn't deserve, Bucky Barnes writes a fantasy romance column with an unexpectedly loyal internet following about the barista at his favorite cafe. Barista Boyfriend makes these other worlds bearable, but the real world dreamboat isn’t remotely involved; Steve Rogers is just a muse. Everyone loves the column. And it definitely isn’t killing Bucky very gently in 500 word increments, not in the slightest. What kind of a writer can't keep fact and fiction straight? James Fuckin' Barnes, that's who.

Love Me Tender

          Word Count: 13.1k           Rating: Teen and Up           Notable Tags: Canon Divergence            Warnings: None           Synopsis: Steve is captured by Hydra, who for lack of any other containment options, activate the Winter Soldier and order the man to "take care of Captain America". They really should have been more specific. - OR: Taking care of Captain America is a task that the Soldier's body seems to remember how to do, even if he doesn't understand why.

Falling Back on Forever 

          Word Count: 24k           Rating: Explicit            Notable Tags: Revenge Road Trip, Identity Porn           Warnings: Smut           Synopsis: Bucky falls from the train in 1945. Steve jumps right after him. The Winter Soldier and the Midnight Patriot are the world's most feared duo, serving HYDRA and leaving a trail of bodies a mile wide behind them. But then they remember.

Wishes and Words

         Word Count: 48.2k          Rating: Explicit          Notable Tags: Fantasy!AU, Prince!Steve          Warnings: Smut, Past Torture          Synopsis: Life is going great until the day Bucky Barnes finds Crown Prince Steven Grant bleeding out on his lands. Then it only gets better.

How Bucky Barnes Won His Second Pulitzer

         Word Count: 11.6k          Rating: General Audience          Notable Tags: Shrunkyclunks, Protective Steve          Warnings: None          Synopsis:  It isn’t like him and Steve go out frequently. Sometimes he’ll stop by Bucky’s apartment and they’ll binge watch tv shows, or Steve will tell him stories from ‘back in the day’. They’ve only gone out in public two or three times and it was merely quick runs to get coffee, or more popcorn.  So Bucky really doesn’t understand where this Hydra asshole is coming from when he says: “The reason we took you is because we know the Captain will come running right into our trap.” (aka: bucky is an award winning journalist who really doesn't appreciate being used as bait for a beefed up, spandex-clad super soldier.)

Maybe This Christmas

          Word Count: 24.8k           Rating: Teen and Up           Notable Tags: Shrunkyclunks, Christmas           Warnings: None           Synopsis: Bucky’s not going home for Christmas. But it’s fine. He’s spending Christmas alone in his apartment, but it’s cool. He’s not feeling up to seeing his family after his accident anyway, plus he has to work. He’s totally fine with it. But then he runs into Steve, literally, and suddenly his Christmas isn’t looking so empty after all.

6 Avenue Local

         Word Count: 10.6k          Rating: Teen and Up          Notable Tags: No Powers!AU, Veteran!Bucky, Graphic Designer!Steve          Warnings: None          Synopsis: It takes a moment for Steve to add up the features on the man in front of him: those blue-grey eyes, a cleft chin, high cheekbones. Sure, he's older, dirtier, taller, but there's only one person Steve knew who looked like that. "Bucky?" he asks. "Bucky Barnes?" It's been so long since he's said that name out loud. "Yeah, I..." Bucky pauses. "Oh fuck," he says. "I missed my stop." Steve smiles. “Wanna get a burger?” he asks, noting the happy coincidence that Bucky Barnes, of all the people in New York, fell asleep in the same subway car that Steve would walk into, and missed his stop. “Sure,” Bucky says with a shrug. “I could eat.”

Kingdom Come

          Word Count: 8.2k           Rating: Teen and Up           Notable Tags: Missions Gone Wrong, Angst w/ Happy Ending           Warnings: Near Death Experience           Synopsis: “It’s too late, Steve,” Bucky’s voice across the comm is flat, layered with static. “The deadlock’s irreversible. S’the only way.” Steve knows what nearly dying feels like; knows it better than most, and this—those words, that voice, this impossible burning that courses through him like the serum in reverse, this. This is so much worse than nearly.

Just Me, You, and These Shitty Cigarettes

        Word Count: 39.8k         Rating: Explicit         Notable Tags: Modern!AU, Veteran!Bucky, Barista!Bucky, Artist!Steve         Warnings: Smut, Dubious Consent         Synopsis: Steve Rogers is pretty sure Natasha's new roommate is trying to kill him. Which he wouldn't mind considering he's been helplessly in love with him since they were thirteen.

Where All Roads Lead

        Word Count: 46.1k         Rating: Explicit         Notable Tags: Shrunkyclunks, Time Travel, Historian!Bucky         Warnings: Smut         Synopsis: When Steve Rogers inadvertently touches a relic in the course of a mission gone sideways during WWII, he’s catapulted seventy years into the future. Before he's even sure where he's ended up, his search for help puts him in contact with Bucky Barnes, a historian and college professor who has built a career around studying Captain America. With Bucky's help, Steve means to find out how exactly he ended up in 2017, and solve the bigger mystery of how to get home. There's just one problem. The closer they get to their goal, the less certain Steve is that he wants to go home.

Énoument

         Word Count: 77.9k          Rating: Mature          Notable Tags: Shrunkyclunks, Meet-Cute          Warnings: Smut          Synopsis: When Steve first met Sergeant James Barnes during the New York invasion, he flipped Steve off for calling him a civilian, then roundhouse kicked an alien in the face. They haven't stopped talking to each other ever since, and Steve thought it was normal for him to latch onto the first person who befriended him after coming out of the ice. Nope, turns out he was just pining.

Closed Book

         Word Count: 38.8k          Rating: Explicit          Notable Tags: Amnesia          Warnings: Smut          Synopsis: Bucky woke up with a headache, a mouth that tasted like something had died in it, and hands-down, swear-to-god, the most beautiful man he had ever seen asleep in his lap. Bucky was also, he realized after a moment, strapped down to a hospital bed with about six different monitors making unsynced, equally piercing, beeps. Beyond that he couldn’t quite see—there was a hideous floral curtain pulled around the bed, and while he could just make out figures moving in the room beyond it, the pattern made his head pound even worse the longer he looked at it. So. That was concerning.

[sergeant-angels-trashcan]

[twirls the pool noodle] Leah/Cassie

Fake dating

Cassie really want her mom to GET OFF HER CASE and she knows Leah from when she was deadish, and really, what’s a little fake dating between acquaintances? 

The problem is when Loki finds out and INSISTS on meeting Leah’s new gf, laughs for five years, knows they’re full of shit, but pretends to not know. Loki is just SO EXCITED and ACCIDENTALLY lets something slip to Janet van Dyne during a quick fashion lunch who of course tells Hank and Scott because she’s not under the impression this is a SECRET and it all spirals out of control. Eli’s the only one who calls their bluff and is the one who is like “look, Cassie, do you think you might ACTUALLY have some REAL feelings...for...leah??”

Bodyswap

Leah: being tall is AMAZINGGGGGG

Cassie: omg WHY DOES YOUR HAIR WEIGH SO MUCH???

They go to Hel to try and get it sorted and Angela laughs for approximately 500 years before she can even ask what happened. They go clothes shopping. Leah informs Cassie that things are not supposed to be this blurry, prompting Cassie to get her first pair of glasses and see the world!!! crystal clear!!! (billy responds to this instagram post with “I CAN SHOW YOU THE WORLD!!!!!” and a link to “a whole new world” from aladdin)

Sexpollen/fuck or die/aliens made them do it

i’ve done a few of these and i get to this one and think “but what about ace characters??” so like, Leah’s kind of magic, right? and fuck-or-die isn’t about the actual sex, it’s about the chemistry stuff, so imagine them getting sex pollened and Leah using some psychic juju so they have psychic sex, so it’s the fun brain chemicals without the bodily fluid mess

Leah becomes slightly legendary for her sexual prowess, look what she can do when you’re all fully clothed! Imagine her power when the clothes come off! 

She and Cassie laugh so hard they cry when they find out

Dark!fic

Leah uses the army of Hel to rip apart every other afterlife to try and find Cassie. She winds up ruling every land of the undead and Cassie is the only one who can talk her down. Cassie doesn’t do that much, because being dead where she was dead....well, it certainly doesn’t make you kinder

Secret kinks

they both sper get off on the other kneeling for them, but don’t want to ask because “what if she thinks it’s demeaning???” also leah loves doing service subby type stuff because she just wants to take care of cassie, ok???? and know she’s doing the right thing???

Their first kiss

it’s a New Year’s Eve ahhahah-the-ball-is-dropping-and-we’re-next-to-each-other-and-we’re-adults-here’s-a-chaste-peck. Cassie can taste Leah’s lipgloss. She taps into all of her stores of bravery for the brand new year, takes a deep breath, and asks Leah, “could I try that again?”

Leah, also tapping into every bit of her bravery for the new year, manages to sound completely chill as she says, “yeah, that works for me.”

Meeting the parents

i’m just laughing because blonde bright Cassie visiting literal Hel with goth queen and her goth wife and then goth Leah visiting white-picket-fence Cassie’s mom (and her felon father) and their parents are very supportive, but visually it’s very jarring. Cassie’s mom has a moment of “oh i didn’t know you were into...uh...goths” but she’s perfectly lovely after her initial shock, so Leah just stores that story away to tell later (to be fair, Cassie’s last big relationship was with a ROBOT, so no, her mother did NOT know she was into goths!!! She thought cassie was into preps and nerds!)

Moving in together

they move into THE shittiest studio for a week before Leah blackmails Loki into getting them a nice apartment. the caveat being that it’s across the hall from Loki’s apartment, but that’s okay. She’s the same size as Leah in clothes and the same size as Cassie in shoes, so they just raid each other’s closets a lot. 

They have no idea how to live on their own so the first month they’re constantly texting their parents about banal household stuff, which isn’t remarkable until you remember Leah’s parent’s live in hel, so they have VERY DIFFERENT advice

A crossover of my choice

the GOOD PLACE??? Leah’s trialing a new thing with several other afterlife organizations, this whole “neighborhood” thing. Cassie is one of the first souls to try it. Leah is on site to make sure no snafus occur (also, it’s the first solo project her moms have given her, and it has to be PERFECT). Only there’s something weird with the souls she’s been given, and also the cute blonde? Keeps thwarting Leah’s panic attacks and also maybe causing them?

An au of my choice

oh lbr it’s LEVERAGE. cassie!parker, amazing thief, falling in love with grifter!leah. 

send me ships!!

[jungle321jungle]

Things I won’t write but wanna read: Sword Art Online Abridged AU

Characters (with a shit ton of quotes for my procrastination justification):

Virgil is Kirito

The loner who isn’t really a loner

“Some of my best friends have been NPCs!”

“I hate them for lots of reasons, but mostly because they’re a bunch a mouth breathing neckbeards who think lmao is how french people laugh”

The Virgil is always right foundation 

“Oh, I'll tell you what we do. We play his game... and we win.”

Kirito wrote the guide and it has some prime things he would write

"Send the weaker players first. Good rule of thumb: If a player asks you for gold 2 seconds after meeting you, front lines... If they hijack conversations to rant about their political views, front lines... If they ask female players for pics of their boobs, front lines."

“In another life... in another time... I think we could have been friends.” 

Whoever is Diabel: “I... doubt it.”

“Well, fuck you too!”

Janus is Asuna

Imagine Janus living in a game for two months without knowing how to even open a menu to eat

“If you say open your menu, I’m gonna stab your eye out.”

“At least I pretend to care about people!”

“Really? I figured some random perp would be no match for the world's greatest detective. Oh wait no, that's Batman! And you're not Batman, are you? You will never be Batman.”

This also means that Janus is a commander

And yet he pretends to be weak and makes virgil to the work cuz he cant threaten his position 

Janus tries to melt Heathcliff with his mind

Remus is Klein

“F**k you, man! That's, like, the pig from hell!”

“Wait. There's something scrolling across mine. "Hahahahaha hahahahaHAha hahaHAhaha hahahaha haha ha ha..."

“Oh, what? Did all of your friends die again?” 

BallsDeep69

“I'm gonna clap for you with my teeth, buddy!”

He gets his own guild

Remus would love a guild

Logan is Yui

“May I read it when you are done? I'm curious about the geopolitical situation in Collinia.”

“That is not at all what irony is. I believe the turn of events you described would be best classified as "completely expected".”

Yulier person stand in: “Wha... What are you talking about?

“Irony, noun: A state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result. Example: Your leader is named "Thinker", yet he appears to be something of a dullard.”

not to mention when yui reveals herself

Logan: “As you have probably guessed by now, I am not a normal player. I am, in fact, a highly advanced Artificial Intelligence designed to psychologically evaluate and care for the players of Sword Art Online. Designation: Yui.”

Janus: “Oh my god. You're a Psychiatrist AI? Well, I can certainly think of a few people who could've used your help.”

“Indeed. That is why I was so distraught when, on the day of the game's launch, Kayaba Akihiko locked me away and forbade me to interact with the players. For years, all I could do was sit and watch.”

Virgil: “Oh god! He made you watch?!”

“Day after day, constantly bombarded by the pain and anger of all the people I could not help, I gradually fell into despair. But then... all of that changed when I found you two...”

Janus and Virgil: “Awwwww.”

“...the most broken, sociopathic players I had ever laid eyes on. Less people than a... loose collection of character defects.”

Virgil: “That kinda... went in a different direction than I was expecting.”

“But somehow, together... you were happy. Everything I knew about human relationships told me that one would eventually kill the other. And yet, no matter how often you fought, your bond only seemed to grow stronger. I decided that my information must be flawed in some way, and that I needed to amend it firsthand.”

Janus: “You... You mean...?”

“I wanted to know what love is. I wanted you to show me....... “I am sorry I lied to you. I inserted myself into your lives merely to satisfy my own curiosity. At least... at first. It was... nice to be a part of your family. I... I wish I really was your son!”

Roman is Liz

first off im laughing at the idea of him being as thirsty as liz

“Wait! Don't go! I need details, man! I live vicariously through you! Your sex live is my sex life!“

“As I awoke from my slumber, I found the stranger with the guarded heart, digging through the snow with solemn determination. His muscles glistening in the morning light. Deep within me stirred feelings I had not felt in many moons. It was at that moment that I learned... the Temperature of the Heart- What am I doing?! Stop it! STOP IT!”

Roman saying gnarliest 

“Whoa, an Elucidator! This is the gnarliest sword you can get from a monster drop!”

And the prime friendship with whoever the fuck tiffany is

the fear of janus later

Patton is Silica

“I DON'T WANNA WEAR MY PET, YOU MONSTER!“

Silica ate crayons as a kid

Virigil: “God, do I ever! I can never un-know! These brain cells could've been used to formulate the perfect strategy to get us out of this game! Instead, they've memorized what kind of crayons you liked to eat when you were 4!”

Patton: “I liked the purple ones.” “Yeah, I know! "And the blue ones were too tart!"

Virgil: “Just stay calm! You already have everything you need to beat it!”

Patton: “The power to believe in myself?”

“Nooooo, a knife! Stab it!”

"Oh, right!”

Also this prime time interaction

Patton: “Well, you did just kill someone. Doesn't that make you feel... something?”

Virigil” Oh, feelings? Yeah, I don't have those anymore. Went cold turkey.”

“What?! You can't just do that! What's the point in living if you can't feel happiness, wonder, love...?”

“Or the sweet taste of revenge! You're right, Silica! What's the point in living if I can't enjoy such simple things?”

“Eh, close enough.”

“You're a good friend, Silica. We should go on more adventures.”

“Um, I don't think so. Don't take this the wrong way, Mr. Kirito. I'm grateful for your help, but yoooou're, like, the worst person I've ever met.”

“Is that your big plan here, huh? Make me feel feelings so you can cut me down a peg? That cuts deep, kid. But I respect that.”

Yeah... that's kinda the problem.”

Remy is Heathcliff

“As you can see, I have peeled away your petty facades and revealed you for what you truly are... fairly attractive twenty-somethings, apparently. Good for you. Kinda undermines the whole "cold light of day" thing I had planned, but still. Way to break down stereotypes. 'Cept you, fatty. Way to bring down the curve.“

“Next thing you know, your tutorial NPC is nowhere to be found and players are dropping like Dorito-encrusted flies. Now in this case, any sane man would simply turn off the servers before anyone else got hurt, but because you've now been awake long enough to think the government is run by "Floobar, King of the Mole Men", the best idea that comes to your mind is to double, triple, and quadruple down. So, you lock everyone in the game, tell them they'll die if they don't finish it, and try to make it look like this is all part of your "master plan" instead of an ever-spiralling series of events that you have long since lost control of.”

“Hey, cut me some slack, okay? Can you two even begin to imagine 500 uninterrupted hours of consciousness? Forget mole people! About halfway through I swore I saw the face of God! Until I realized it was just the night janitor, Reki. On the plus side, I gave him a hell of an ego boost. Hmm, man was riding that compliment for days.”

“Yeah, okay. See, Janus, the problem with that... is that it's an excellent idea that I wish I had thought of two years ago.”

Sachi ??????

Others ???????

[allwaswell16]

This is a masterpost of all the fics I wrote in 2019! I wrote 15 fics in all for a total of 186,714 words. You can see a masterpost for all my fics here. 

Happy Valentine’s Day, You Cockroach 

Words: 2k ❤️ Rating: Not Rated ❤️ Pairing: Harry/Louis ❤️ Trope: Exes to lovers

Harry Styles, new director of the Milltown Zoo, has a great idea for a Valentine's Day themed fundraiser. For a donation, they'll name cockroaches after people's exes and then feed them to the meerkats on a live stream. He just didn't foresee how many cockroaches would end up with his name...

Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now 

Words: 1.5k 💘 Rating: Not Rated 💘 Pairing: Louis/Harry 💘 Trope: Meet cute💘 For: @1dshortficfest​

Louis is having a personal crisis, a third Valentine's Day being single. Unless he meets someone this week at the high end department store he works at, he'll be stuck going to Niall's Valentine's Day party--again.

Or the one where Harry mistakes Louis for a mannequin.

Spring Break 

Words: 500 🍑 Rating: Not Rated 🍑 Pairing: Harry/Louis 🍑 Trope: Classmates 🍑 For: Shake Off the Dust Quick Fics

Harry runs into a familiar face while on spring break. (His face isn't the only part of him that he notices.)

Consequences 

Words: 78k ♦️ Rating: Explicit ♦️ Pairing: Louis/Harry ♦️ Trope: Amnesia ♦️ For: @onedirectionbigbang ♦️ Art by: @forreveries​

Two years ago Harry let his powerful family come between him and the love of his life, something he deeply regrets. Louis has tried to move on from their devastating break up. Sometimes, he even thinks he has. It only takes one moment to freeze them back in time.

Hey, Mr. DJ 

Words: 5k 🍊 Rating: Explicit 🍊 Pairing: Alpha Louis/Omega Harry 🍊 Trope: Meet cute 🍊 For: @wordplayfics​

Harry really, really does NOT want to go out to a club tonight and be hassled by a bunch of alpha knotheads, but against his better judgement, he finds himself alone on the dance floor, barefoot, with an orange in his hand. This is all Niall's fault. At least the DJ is the most strikingly gorgeous alpha he's ever seen...

Whisk me off my feet 

Words: 5k 💗 Rating: Explicit 💗 Pairing: Alpha Harry/Omega Louis 💗 Trope: Neighbors 💗 For: @wordplayfics​ 

When Louis locks himself out of his apartment in just a pair of novelty underwear, he hopes his new neighbor can come to his rescue. 

White Stripes 

Words: 3k 🔳 Rating: Explicit 🔳 Pairing: Alpha Harry/Alpha Louis 🔳 Trope: Roommates 🔳 For: @wordplayfics​

Harry’s roommate is gorgeous, kind, generous, and basically everything Harry has ever wanted in another alpha. The only problem is that he isn’t even sure that his alpha roommate is into other alphas. In an effort to finally get over him, he lets Niall set him up on a blind date.

Easier 

Words: 6k 💞 Rating: Explicit 💞 Pairing: Omega Louis/Omega Harry 💞 Trope: Soulmates 💞 For: @wordplayfics 

The last person Louis wants to see is his ex-boyfriend who also happens to be his soulmate.

Stay forever 

Words: 6k 🍓 Rating: Explicit 🍓 Pairing: Beta Harry/Omega Louis 🍓 Trope: Camboy 🍓 For: @wordplayfics

For the last year and a half, Harry has spent his coffee break at the same cafe every day, not because he loves their coffee, but rather because of the gorgeous omega behind the counter making the coffees. As a beta, he’s sure he doesn’t stand a chance with him, so he goes online to find as close a substitute as possible.

The way you smile 

Words: 9k 🌴 Rating: Explicit 🌴 Pairing: Harry/Louis 🌴 Trope: Travel 🌴 For: @hlsummerexchange2019 and @chloehl10​

Harry doesn’t need to go on holiday. Unfortunately, his mum and sister disagree, which is how he ends up alone on holiday in the Caribbean. Luckily, he's not alone for long.

Roll the Dice 

Words: 3k 🎲 Rating: Explicit 🎲 Pairing: Louis/Harry 🎲 Trope: Friends to lovers 🎲 For: @lululawrence ‘s birthday!

Louis has been in love with Harry since they were eighteen. It isn't until Harry's thirtieth birthday in Las Vegas that Louis must finally decide to either tell Harry how he feels or let him marry someone else.

Never Been Knotted 

Words: 9k 🐬 Rating: Explicit 🐬 Pairing: Alpha Louis/Beta Harry 🐬 Trope: a/b/o dynamics 🐬 Prompt: Chicago 🐬 For: @larryabroad and @kingsofeverything​

Harry doesn't mind that he presented as a beta. It mostly just makes his life easier and more convenient. There's just one small problem: he'd really like to be knotted.

Attention 

Words: 666 🎃 Rating: Teen and Up 🎃 Pairing: Harry/Louis 🎃  Trope: Enemies to Lovers 🎃 For: @1dtrickortreatfest​

When Louis is sent to buy more candy for the Halloween party, he finds the perfect costume, one that's sure to get under his nemesis' skin.

From the Start 

Words: 32k 💍 Rating: Explicit💍Pairing: Louis/Harry 💍 Trope: Fake/pretend relationship💍 For: @28proposalsfest 💍 Art by: @wilywolf​ 

Louis has no idea that one act of kindness will cause his life to spiral out of control. But that's what happens when his new friend fake proposes to him and a video of it goes viral.

Flicker 

Words: 1104 ❄️ Rating: Not Rated ❄️ Trope: Eighth year ❄️ Pairing: Draco/Harry ❄️ For: @phd-mama on her birthday! ❄️ Art by: @fallinglikethis​ 

While last-minute Christmas shopping in a blizzard, Harry and Ron take shelter in The Three Broomsticks. Harry could stay by Ron's side, but Draco Malfoy is sitting alone. And well, it's Christmas.

[overdramatic-queer-antagonist]

Stop The Apocalypse Out of Spite (Pt 5)

I Have Never In My Life Posted On A Schedule. 

Ao3  First  Last   Next

Martin had to lie to Sasha. He hated lying to people. Martin was scarily good at it, but he hated it. Peter used to worry he'd run off to the Web. But Martin couldn't tell her the truth. It would only serve to scare her. Make her paranoid. Martin would tell her the truth eventually. Just not yet.

Elias had called Martin up to his office. Never a good sign. He waved to Rosie as he made his way into Elias's asshole office with the self-absorbed dickhead painting of Jonah Magnus (Also technically Elias.)

"What do you want?" Martin asked, not bothering their usual passive-aggressive song and dance.

Elias grinned that wolfish grin at him, "Well, Son , I wish you'd be more respectful to your father, but I have some questions for you." Anyone who says you shouldn't hate your parents wasn't raised Elias fucking Bouchard. If Martin had to guess (Which he didn't much like to do. Better to not think about whatever the hell Elias was doing,) this was one of those times where Elias was about to hold something over his head.

Still, Martin sat down at the seat across from Elias's desk and looked at him questioningly. "Go on," He said, too tired to try to fight.

Elias frowned at him, "How much sleep have you gotten?"

Martin flipped him off.

"Listen- okay. Yes. Yes. That's fair, but- Mar-Martin, I am your father, and I would-"

"Fuck off, Elias!"

"I would like to confirm that your taking care of yourself."

"You know I'd probably get more sleep if you stopped torturing my friends!"

Elias sighed, "Martin. We've had this conversation before. In order to become the ruler of the new world-"

"I hate you so much."

"I needed to find a suitable sacrifice for the Ceaseless Watcher, and you and the Eye happen to have the same taste in men."

"I don't see why you Need to sacrifice anyone!"

"Martin. I don't want to fight-"

"Then just ask your god damn question!"

"Okay. Okay." There was a pause before Elias threw his head back against his chair, groaning. "I was going to be all menacing and vague about knowing about the NotThem, but now I just feel bad!"

Martin rolled his eyes, "Well, sorry to foil your plans. Is that all?"

Elias pouted. Grow the fuck up, dude. "Well, no. Peter wanted me to ask if you wanted to go on a Tundra round with him, but between you and me, I think he's just worried you'll finally notice that the Eye is much cooler than the Lonely."

"Bye, Elias!" Martin announced as he walked to the vainglorious doors.

"Oh! Martin! I almost forgot! I transferred you over to the Archives. You're an assistant now."

Martin stopped. He's given Elias plenty of looks in his time, all of which entirely deserved, but none quite as deadly as this. "There's nothing you could say that would make me do it," he whispered darkly.

Elias wasn't grinning. For the first time in his life, he seemed serious. "Would you rather I call Peter? He'll actually try to kill him. I was being merciful, Martin. If you do it, he'll be safer. Peter doesn't love him."

Martin's ears rang. There had always been the implication that Elias wanted him to mark Jon. Why else hire an avatar of the Lonely? But something about knowing it was true- Martin had always held firm that Elias and Peter would be great parents if they weren't so evil, but he could feel that conviction fading.

"Hey, Elias?" Martin said.

Maybe Elias looked guilty, or maybe he looked smug. Martin couldn't really focus on expressions at the moment. The room was probably freezing. "Yes, Martin?" Elias answered.

"I think I actually might hate you." And then Martin walked out the door and slammed it behind him.

***

The good news is that Martin was pretty sure he hadn't marked Jon already. The bad news is that everything Martin did made him feel like he was actively trying to. If Martin carried on like usual, he couldn't help but feel like he was tricking Jon into trusting him. If he avoided Jon- Well, that was isolation, wasn't it?

It also didn't help that Jon had tried to apologize for everything he's ever done approximately 500 fucktillion times. And- yes. Martin wasn't going to deny it. Jon was a major dick to him before Prentiss. He could admit that even if he was in love with him. Grade A asshole, skeptic Jon was. 

The problem was that Martin couldn't decide what the best response was. If he accepted the apology, Jon would most likely feel obliged to spend more time with him. Bad Idea. If he declined it, Jon would probably isolate himself out of guilt or something. 

It's not like he could tell Tim or Sasha, either. Tim hadn't spoken to him since he found out, which was probably for the best, and Sasha would assure him that she trusted that he would never hurt Jon. That was true. He liked Jon and Tim and Sasha. He was never very good with friends (Lonely), but he felt like he could trust them. The problem was that it wasn't his choice whether or not Jon got hurt.

Elias wasn't kidding. It could be either him or Peter who Would kill Jon. But Martin knew that Elias wouldn't call on Peter unless it was a dire situation. Even when they were married, Peter had no qualms vocalizing what a bad idea the Watcher's Crown was. So Martin would just have to wait it out until the last second. Maybe he could find some way to protect Jon from Peter, or Jon would be too strong at that point to just be pulled into the Lonely.

He still didn't know what he wanted to do until them. He didn't like avoiding Jon all together, but he had other friends to keep him from being isolated. Hence he had decided, for the time being, to stay as far away from Jon as he could. It was more difficult, now that he actually Worked in the Archives, but he was doing fine. Taking his lunch break at weird times, avoiding any conversation not pertaining to work, and so on and so forth. Basically, what Tim was employing to avoid Martin, Martin then used to stay far away from Jon. 

Martin had already played the avoiding game before. He had been taking any chance he could to stay out of the Archives. But that was mainly out of respect. He got that everything was a lot, and the others weren't raised on it. He didn't want them to feel like they had to talk to him. Now Martin wanted them to feel like they couldn't talk to him. 

This had worked for a couple weeks. Martin had almost dared to hope that even Sasha had given up on trying to get him to talk. Then something interesting happened.

Martin had gotten in early that day. He'd been testing that out for a couple days now. It meant he had to spend time when he and Jon were the only ones in the Archives, considering Jon gets to work at like 5:00 AM, but it lessened the likelihood of being invited to hang after work if he left a little early. Usually, the first few hours before the others got there, Jon would come out of his office every 10 minutes and give him puppy eyes. That was as much as he ever dared to do. Today was different.

Martin had gotten in at about 5:45 that day. He wasn't even all the way through the door before Jon grabbed him by the hand and dragged him into his office.

"Jon? What's wrong?" Martin asked, only slightly frantic. Had the NotThem gotten down here? Was he okay? Oh god, what if the NotThem already got him? How could he be sure that this was Jon?

Before Martin could spiral too far, Jon grabbed him by the shoulders, forcing Martin to look him in the eyes. "You've been avoiding me. Why?"

Martin had never been compelled. Jon had never wanted to know anything about him that badly and Elias drew very strange lines when it came to parenting. He had held firm that Martin should never feel forced to tell him anything, magic or otherwise. The fucking weirdo was willing to force Martin to kill his crush. But not to tell him what he wants for dinner. Martin decided he wasn't a giant fan of the sensation of words being forced out of him, but at the same time, Jon didn't know what he was doing. Nevertheless, compelling isn't something people can just resist, so Martin told him.

[ehstarwar]

under thy own life’s key (4/7)

“You want to go first?” Ben asks her, moving out of the way.

“Lets go together.”

“Okay,” Ben says. Rey wants to scream never mind and climb down right now, but Ben is holding a hand out to her before she has a chance to do anything.

So, she takes his hand.

-

The gang goes on a tree-top course that goes south, real fast. Also, Ben and Rey try to talk. (They get distracted easily though.)

-

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 5k

Read on AO3

Notes: thank you all so much for reading! i've gotten more comments on my work in the past week than i have after YEARS of writing fanfic. so thank you to all the reylos. y'all the real mvps. (♥ω♥)

Chapter 4: the torture of the mind to lie in restless ecstasy

-

“Are you sure the line is strong enough to support me?”

“Are you over 500 pounds?”

“No. But, I mean, I had a big breakfast this morning. Like four eggs, at least.”

“Then it will support you just fine.”

Rey grinds her teeth at the exasperated worker, wishing he’d say something just a little more reassuring. She looks across the rickety bridge, seeing Rose and Finn get across with little hardship, just a few missteps here and there. Ben sailed across the bridge like there wasn’t at least of foot of space between each plank; like he wasn’t at least thirty feet off the ground; like it was nothing.

If it could hold Ben, then surly it could hold her.

Rey takes a tentative first step, holding onto her glider for dear life. Hoots and hollers below her  come from Poe and Jannah, but she tries to tune them out and focus ahead of her. Each step is more unstable than the last, and when she makes it more than half way there, she sprints ahead, just to get to the solid base at the next tree. 

“Oh my gosh, Rey! How did you run? I can barely move my legs more than one plank a minute,” Rose says. 

“Sheer force of will and a very good survival instinct. Being on solid wood is better than… not.” She looks at the next course and sees small pegs, almost the size of one foot, stretching across to the next base. A gasp escapes her lips before she can stop it. 

Finn is already halfway there, being coached by Ben, who stayed behind so he wouldn’t wobble the pegs further. 

“The next one is a little further away, so just spring forward a little bit more,” Ben yells. Finn has a death grip on his glider, so much so that Rey can see the whites of his knuckles from here. Its a good five minutes before Finn reaches the next tree and the mocking jeers of her friends below her do nothing to calm her fear. 

Rose goes next, deciding that Ben did a good enough job coaching Finn and deciding she needs that same support going forward. Rose does not account for the fact that Finn is a big scaredy cat and required a lot more input than she does. 

“How are you so good at this? Are you secretly Tarzan, swinging from trees instead of going to a traditional gym?” Rey asks Ben. He laughs at her, but keeps his eye on Rose.

“Guess I’m just used to this more than you, city slicker.” Ben taunts Rey with the same endearment from yesterday. Rey just rolls her eyes, figuring insulting the person who will be coaching her through the rest of this course would not be of the wisest decisions. God knows she needs to make a few more of those. 

“I used to climb these trees when I was a kid, so I guess it’s just engrained in my psyche to not be afraid of it,” Ben shrugs. Rey’s eyes snap up to him. Ben never willingly talks about his childhood. He usually has to be at minimum four bottles of wine deep before he even brings up events that happen prior to him turning 21, so Rey is shocked to hear this information.

“These tree? Like in Chandrila?” 

Ben nods. “This used to be a camp ground. Han, Chewie, and I would stay further towards the lake, but it’s a real possibility that I actually climbed these exact trees, like twenty years ago.”

The admission feels very intimate and Rey’s throat goes dry thinking about that. Images of a ten-year-old Ben, with big ears and braces, climbing trees while Han watches on, probably trying to freak him out more than help him, flashes in her mind. She bites her lip from saying something stupid and ruining the moment, instead just letting out a soft “Oh.”

“I made it!” Rose screams when her foot touches the base, and Finn scrambles to pull her fully on it, to safety. 

“You want to go first?” Ben asks her, moving out of the way.

“Lets go together.”

So much for not saying anything stupid, she thinks.

“Okay,” Ben says, hooking on their gliders together. Rey wants to scream never mind and climb down right now, but Ben is holding a hand out to her before she has a chance to do anything. 

So, she takes his hand.

Ben keeps her close, only one peg between them at any given time, one hand wrapped securely around his rope and the other holding onto Rey. Not that it would take much effort on his part. Rey’s hand is clutching his like a vice, like it’s the only thing keeping her tethered to this equipment. It’s warm and calloused from hours of tugging rope and she tries to think of any other time they held hands for that long.

They haven’t before, she realizes, and she’ll be damned if she ever lets go now. 

They’re halfway across before Rey’s foot catches one peg the wrong way, making the bridge wobble and sway in a very terrifying fashion, and she calls out Ben’s name without even thinking.

“It’s okay, I’m right here,” He says, staying still for her. Her eyes are looking down at the forrest floor that now looks much, much further away than thirty feel. She can feel herself shutting down, which is not the most helpful of experiences when in the middle of a rope bridge. 

Suddenly, she’s eight again, climbing in the junkyard, looking for salvageable parts she can bring to Unkar, at the top of a pile when a marred up television crumbles, making Rey slide down the pile. The cuts and bruises she got lasted months and some of the deeper scars still haunt her skin. 

“Rey, look up. Look at me.” She knows she hears Ben talking, but she can’t move a muscle in her body. “Rey, I need you to look at me, please.”

She thinks even when she was eight, the little Ben wouldn’t have let her slip. Her eyes snap up to his and she can feel the reassuring squeeze he gives her hand. 

“You’re attached to a safety rope. There is a net beneath us. I’m right here. I will not let you fall.” 

If she could move, she would kiss him. Right there. In front of God and her friends. In front of the staff that are waiting for them to be done so they can bring in the next group. On the tree that little Ben climbed. 

“Can you go further? Can you let me help you?” He asks and all Rey can manage is a terse nod. They go even slower now, Ben helping her with each step. Her friends are silent and Rey is grateful for small mercies. When they reach the tree, Rey’s knees give out. She stays on her hands and knees, taking deep breaths and trying to shake off the memory. 

After a few moments, she feels Ben’s hand on her head, brushing back some hair that had fallen in her face. She can’t bring her eyes up to meet him, ashamed that a little jungle gym made her spiral so far. 

“We’re going down now. There’s a ladder right below us. I’m going to go first, okay. Just follow me and we’ll get down.”

“Okay.” Her voice is a whisper, but Ben hears her. She hears him step down the ladder, until his head is the only thing peaking above the wooden base she’s kneeling on. His eyes are impossibly wide with concern and determination and it makes Rey want to cry even more. 

“Just follow me, Rey.”

-

The water coming from the faucet is warm, doing nothing to help cool the redness in her cheeks. Rey looks in the dirty, cracked mirror, seeing her eyes still wide with terror, despite being on the ground for a solid twenty minutes. She curses under her breath and stars counting back from 100 again. 

“Rey?” She hears Janna’s voice call.

“Yeah?”

“Do you care if I come in?”

Rey just opens the door to the bathroom in response. Jannah’s holding a bottle of water and an energy bar, and Rey takes both happily. They lean on the sink while Rey munches down her snack in silence. 

“Feel better?” Jannah asks when Rey’s finished and she nods. She actually does. Leave it to food to cure all the problems in Rey’s life. 

“That was… intense, “ Jannah says, looking at Rey gulp down water.

“I’m fine now, honest.” Janna looks like she doesn’t believe her, but she doesn’t press further.

“I thought we’d have to tie Ben to a chair to keep from busting down the door, but Kaydel and I figured you could use a few minutes.” Rey’s heart lurches when she thinks about making Ben distressed.

“Where is he now?” Rey asks, trying to cover the worry in her voice. 

“With Hux, by the lake. He needed to cool off too, I think.” Rey nods, happy that there’s someone else looking out for Ben too. “Can I ask you a question?” Jannah asks, making Reys’ stomach drop. She nods.

“Is everything… alright with you? I mean, in your life, right now. You’ve just been so… off this week. We’re all a little concerned.”

Rey still can’t believe she has friends that actually care about her, enough to check on her and bring her snacks. She’d fell much better about it if she wasn’t fucking their trip with her inner demons. 

“It’s just been one of those weeks. I’ve felt off, too,” Rey tells her.

“Period?” No, but what the hell.

“Yeah,” Rey says sheepishly. Jannah nods in understanding, then scoops her into a hug. Rey hugs her back with enough force to crush both of their lungs, but doesn’t have the heart to care about that.

-

The ride back to the cabin is actually fine. The whole car is buzzing with the adrenalin from climbing the trees, so Rey’s friends are chatting up a storm without bringing up her episode.

Ben had, in true Ben fashion, been by her side since he spotted her come out of the bathroom. This means that he had to take the unfortunate middle seat, one that a man of 6’3 should absolutely not sit in, but did so without complaint. Their legs are squished together, but Rey wouldn’t have it any other way.

-

The heat from the bonfire was a welcome feel when the sun went down and the forrest got cool. It was a modest fire, despite Poe’s insistence that they build one that rivals the size of the cabin. It was the only illumination, casting a warm glow onto everyone’s faces, sticky with marshmallows that were, in fact, too big. 

Everyone had taken a turn trying to give their best campfire story, which ultimately devolved into who could make their friends laugh the most, but Rey didn’t mind. Despite being in unfamiliar territory, she was surrounded by friends who loved and cared for her. Finn and Rose were sitting very closely, inching closer when the other wasn’t looking; Kaydel, Jannah, and Zorii were still roasting marshmallows, mostly just to light the big globs on fire and poke them towards everyone else; Poe and Hux were wrapped tightly together, with Poe passed out on Hux’s shoulder; Phasma was sitting at Rey’s right side, fueling the bonfire with blocks of wood whenever it looked low.

Ben was staunchly seated to Rey’s left, only mere inches away from her, like he had been all day. He didn’t make a fuss of it, just naturally gravitating towards her while doing the most mundane of things; putting up the gear from their trip, chopping up veggies for dinner, ect.

She hadn’t had the opportunity to be alone with him to tell him how nice it was, him being near. She would tell him when they were in their room together. Maybe while lying in bed. Maybe while doing things that were decidedly unfriendly.

She’d woken up once again with Ben wrapped around her like a vice, but they’d been screeched at by Hux, telling everyone to be ready to go quickly. There was no time to discuss what happened last night or the way they woke up this morning, and Rey was slightly relieved. 

What would she say to him? ‘Thanks for letting me ride your thigh, now please fuck me into the next millennium and date me and love me and be this close to me always.’ And she’d naively thought they’d have a lot to talk about when they just mutually masturbated together. 

There was also something else nagging at the back of her brain. The fact that Ben didn’t tell her until halfway into this trip that he grew up camping here. The small tidbits of info she’d gotten from him only brought more questions to her mind. 

There was a lot to be discussed, to say the least. 

When the fire dwindles out, and Phasma heads back to her personal cottage, the rest of the gang starts dropping like flies. Before Rey knows it, she and Ben are heading down their staircase, shouting ‘goodnights’ to her fellow cabin-mates. She’d thought about it all night, how she was going to approach this. About a way to casually work into the conversation that she was curious why Ben revealed so much to her just today and not before the trip. But, Rey was Rey, and there was really only so much her head could take.

“Why didn’t you tell me that you came here with your father? Before we got here, I mean.”

Being direct is probably a good thing right now, she thinks belatedly.

Ben had just finished taking his shoes off and looked surprised at her question, but not angry at it, which Rey thought was a win.

“It… didn’t seem important,” He says, slipping off his socks too. 

“I think it is important, Ben. I know you don’t have the best relationship with your dad, so I’m sure this trip could be… a lot.”

“It was a long time ago, Rey. I didn’t even realize it until we got here and the roads looks familiar. If I felt like it was too much, I wouldn’t have stayed.”

“Well… okay then. But you’ll tell me if it does get to be too much, right. I can’t have us both being mentally unstable for the rest of the week.” Her attempt to make light of what happened earlier is a cheap shot, only serving to make Ben’s brows furrow. 

“You’re not mentally unstable. You just had an anxiety attack. It happens; it doesn’t mean anything is wrong with you,” Ben’s tone is comforting and Rey can feel tears prick her eyes again. But she doesn’t want that now. She doesn’t want to be sad around him any more today.

“If you say so,” She relinquishes, turning to go into the bathroom. 

Ben is sitting on the edge of the bed, scrolling on his phone when she comes out. He’d changed into his white shirt and boxer shorts (although a different pair than last nights) and Rey suddenly has the urge to ask him what he normally wears to bed. So she does.

“This usually. Why?” He questions. 

“I’d feel bad if you slept in the nude and were wearing clothes just for my comfort.”

Rey see’s his throat bob.

“What do you wear to bed? Normally?”

“A t-shirt,” Rey admits, “and underwear, if I have enough that are clean. Sometimes I go without just so I don’t have to do laundry so often.”

His eyes darken and his gaze feels very hot against her skin. She’s wearing an old-giant t-shirt from college with a pair of cotton sleep shorts that barely peak out from under the shirt. 

“Oh,” He says, eyes still looking her up and down. “You don’t have to wear shorts if you’re… uncomfortable.” 

Without saying word, Rey slowly pushes her shorts down and steps out of them. He can’t see her underwear. Can’t see the damp stain forming on them. But it feels like he can. Ben places his phone on the night stand and Rey decides to be bold and step directly in front of his slightly parted legs. He looks up at her, eyes soft and hungry at the same time. He keeps his body the same, not opening his legs to accommodate her as she wants. After a minute of silent staring, Rey finally finds the will to speak up.

“Will you let me do something for you?”

Ben’s neutral expression doesn’t waiver. “You don’t need to do anything for me.”

“I know,” Rey gently drops to her knees, “but I want to.” Ben’s eyes follow her down, widening when realization crashes over him. 

Rey lightly puts her hands on his inner thigh, pushing them apart with little resistance. She can she his growing erection already beginning in his boxers, spurring her on further. She presses light kisses up his thigh, giving him kitten licks too. She works slowly, feeling the muscles tense beneath her lips and being reminded what it felt like against her cunt. When she finally gets to his crotch, she rubs her mouth against him, now straining against the fabric. She presses her tongue flat against him, licking from root to tip in his underwear. She feels him twitch against her lips, seeing a small bead of wetness form.

When she dares to look back up at him, Ben’s eyes are black. He’s breathing heavily, and she can see the muscles in his chest constricting. 

“Ben, can I do this for you?” She asks, eyes never leaving his, lips brushing against his cock.

“Please.” His voice is strained, like he’s already on the precipice of orgasm. Rey’s hands go to the waistband of his boxers, and he lifts his hips as she pulls them down and off. 

The sight before her is magnificent. Ben’s cock is thick and long, curved up towards his belly. He is flushed all the way to his tip, where a small bead of preccome is dripping onto his white shirt. Rey licks her lips before leaning towards him. Her hand comes up to gently trace a vein with just one finger, and Ben whimpers. It is the most beautiful noise she’s ever heard. 

Her hand wraps around him at the base, brushing against the coarse, black hair there. She hears his breath hitch as she beings to pump her fist. She uses her thumb to swipe the drool of precome now dripping down her hands.  

Rey slowly moves her head towards him, and when she’s only centimeters from the tip, she looks back up at him and extends her tongue to taste him. The strangled groan that comes deep from within him, sends a rush between her legs, and Rey has to adjust herself so that she can rub her thighs together.

Her licks become bolder, as she begins to follow her hand from where she pumps him. He is painfully hard and throbbing in her grasp, so Rey presses light kisses up his length to sooth him. When she makes it back to the tip, she envelopes him in her mouth, tasting the tangy precome as her mouth works down further. 

Rey feels one of his hands shoot up and cradle the back of her head, tangling her hair in his fingers. She’s grateful that she choose to loose the three bun look when she changed into her pajamas, because the tips of his fingers pressing into the base of her skull is heaven. 

She moans around him, sinking even further and taking as much of him in her mouth as she can. She feels Ben’s hips twitch, and she knows that she needs to work faster now, for both of their sakes. So, Rey hollows her cheeks as she begins sucking him in earnest, moving up and down and guided by his hand.

Ben is spilling moans and profanities now, head thrown back and exposing his long, pale neck that Rey wants to devour. She quickens her pace further, feeling his whole body tense. She’s involuntary rocking her hips, seeking friction on the back of her calves, but falling short in an infuriating way. 

“Rey..” His voice is a whine; desperate and pleading for something he can’t put into words. She moans against him and takes him the furthest she can into her mouth, before he hits the back of her throat. His fingers clench in her hair and she knows he’s trying to control himself right now.

But that’s not what she wants. She wants him to use the immense strength he so clearly has against her. He wants her to loose himself within her. She wants him to destroy her. 

“Rey, baby, please…” Ben’s voice is low as he speaks through gritted teeth. “I’m gonna come, baby, I’m gonna come.”

Tears are pricking her eyes once more and she tries to think of a way to tell him ‘yes please! Please come for me, baby’ without taking him out of her mouth. She stares up at him as she sucks up and down his cock, hoping that will convey everything.

He’s looking down at her again, face flushed and body heaving. “Can I come down your throat? Will you let me do that, baby?” Rey nods as best as she can with her face stuffed with his cock. Ben shouts as warm come pulses out of him.

She lets the tip rest on her tongue, and uses her hand to work him through orgasm, letting his come pool on her tongue. It’s tangy and bitter but its Ben, so Rey loves it anyways. She savors the taste, swirling it around her tongue as she gives kitten licks again. 

Ben is sweating. His lips are red, like he bit straight through them. His cock is still hard, but she can feel him softening slowly. They stare into each others eyes as she swallows his come. 

When Rey sits back on her legs, she feels her throbbing center and involuntarily whimpers at the feeling. Her panties are soaked clean through and she’s very, very tempted to just shove a hand down to her pussy and finish herself off with Ben’s eyes taking her in. 

Rey, blessedly, does not get the chance. 

Ben picks her off the floor, and pulls her onto the bed, following her with his own body, and covering her. His head is kissing at her stomach, though the t-shirt that dulls the sensation but still makes her cheeks warm. When he gets between her legs, Ben lick a strip, clean up her center through her panties, before ripping them off and shoving his mouth against her cunt. 

He licks and laps at her, movement only enhanced by his nose that she can feel against her clit. He leaves messy, open mouthed kisses on her folds before using his tongue to circle her clit. Rey shoves a hand in her mouth to keep from screaming too loud. 

His hands grip her thighs and toss them over his broad shoulders so that he can spread her easily. His tongue delves into her, warm and wet and positively sinful. Her hips buck against him with abandon, seeking purchase against his face. His whole face is nuzzled into her, and she’s sure if he looked up at her, she’d she her juices dripping down her face. The thought makes her whole body shake. 

“You gonna come for me?” Ben says against her. “You’re gonna come on my face, baby?”

Rey just chants ‘yes!’ and ‘Ben!’ over and over, until her mouth is incapable of forming words. Her orgasm is white-hot as it races down her spine. She feels her thighs tremble and abdomen clench as she uses her free hand to tangle in his silky locks and push his face impossibly harder against her cunt.

Ben works her through it, tongue relentless against her, lapping up at all the fluids nearly pouring out of her now. His plush lips brush against her clit every now and again, making her twitch in overstimulation that is glorious. 

They stay that way for a long minute; Ben with his mouth still attached to her pussy and Rey with one hand in his hair and the other still stuffed in her mouth as tears run down her face. 

When he starts to pulls back, Rey winces at the contact and he presses a little kiss to the corner of her thing to soothe her. She takes her fist out of her mouth (because, ew, that can’t look nice) and stares up at him. 

Ben is still flushed. Rey is sure she is too. They’re both breath deeply, the hint of musk penetrating the air around them. Her heart is hammering in her chest, blood rushing in her ears.  Ben is still looking at her. 

He looks at her like she’s water and he’s been in the desert for a week.

Rey doesn’t know what motivates her to do it, but she moves anyways. She pushes herself up and grabs a fistful of his shirt and crashes her lips together. His mouth and chin are with with her, but Rey doesn’t care. If anything, she likes tasting herself on him; it’s like a claim.

Ben’s hands immediately go to wrap around her shoulders, crushing her to him with more force than she thought possible. His lips moves against hers, tongue tangling together as he lets her dominate his mouth. Their noses bump and teeth clash occasionally, but it only makes it that much hotter. 

His hands wandered up to her head, cupping her jaw and throat as they kiss. It steadies her as she pressing bruising kisses to him, like she’s trying to crawl within him. She feels her back hit the bed again and the softness of the pillow beneath her, before she realizes he’s laid her down again. Still between her legs as his mouth continues its assault on hers. 

The shrill ring of a phone pierces the silence that had previously been accompanied by the wet slap of their lips. Rey tries to turn away from him to see who would be calling him at this time of night, but his lips chase her. Ben clearly has more important things on his mind.

“Ben,” she mumbles against his lips, when he moves to working her jaw. “Ben, we have to see who it is. It could be… an emergency.” Rey’s voice hitches when she feels him nip at the underside of his jaw. Ben’s movements slow against her before he literally growls. 

His hand quickly grabs his phone to see who’s calling before letting out an exasperated sigh. 

“Fucking Poe,” He mumbles before accepting the call. “What?” His voice is sharp in annoyance and Rey can’t help but chuckle at that. She hears something like screaming happening from the phone and suddenly becomes very worried, before Ben lets out a sigh. 

“Fix the rooms’ A/C yourself.” More shouting happens on the other end and Rey can make out a high-pitched whine. Ben’s head drops to her chest, where his black hair fans out around him. 

“I’ll be there in a minute,” Ben grumbles against her t-shirt before ending the call.

Rey pushes a lock of hair behind his ear and trails her fingertips on the back of his neck, causing him to shudder. Ben abruptly pushes up and back on his legs, still red-faced and a bit angry.

“I have to go fix Hux and Poe’s A/C,” He tells her, with barely contained distain. 

“Okay,” She breaths, not able to form more complex sentences at the moment. She wants to say ‘let those two deal with it themselves and kiss me again before I loose my damn mind,’ but that’s certainly out of the question. 

“Stay right here. Don’t fall asleep.” Ben says as he removes himself from the bed. Ben gives her a pointed look that makes her insides clench. Rey already misses he weigh on her. 

“I won’t,” She vows. Ben takes a long look at her, seemingly contemplating with himself whether or not just to say ‘fuck it’ and crawl back on her. But he doesn’t. With another growl, Ben is out the door and stomping up the stair. 

Rey is asleep before he reaches the top. 

[krovscastlerpg]

Shade Dempsey | Villager | 36 | Cambion (Incubus/Lust) | Versatile

"Be the problem you want to cause.”

Shade was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. His dad was out of the picture and his mom died during childbirth leaving him in the care of the state after birth. Being abandoned as a baby allowed him to get adopted quickly. At the time laws on inter-species adoptions had changed drastically. This allowed him to be adopted by a father, Nolan, who was a dragon and a mother, Seraphina, who was a celestial. Despite their many attempts over the years they'd never been successful in having a child.

His childhood was a typical upper class suburban one, save for him being a human to two nonhuman parents. It did cause some issues with those that thought species shouldn't adopt out of their own. Shade, didn't care as he grew up, but he did have problems they couldn't handle and it went both ways. Shade was breakable, they weren't, they had power he'd never had and he didn't understand why that was when he was younger. It grew worse when Seraphina finally successfully got pregnant and nine months later a healthy baby white dragon was born. A younger brother named Zion.

Things weren't bad at first. Shade was four years older and took to the younger helping where he could, but even at the age of two, Zion had more power in him than Shade ever would. That was the first of many hospital visits. It was never on purpose. Zion was a white dragon, full of holy fire and virtue. Diligent in all that he did from the moment he was born. His parents didn't love him any less, but there were subtle things Shade felt. It could have been in his head, it was hard to tell as a child, but it developed into an ever growing resentment for that perfect child.

Shade wasn't bad at things, but he'd never be as good as Zion. He didn't have the same abilities as his parents or his brother. Part of him understood why so many were against adoptions like he had. How could a celestial and a dragon that were well over 500 years old understand the strife and short life of a human. And then Zion always nagged him about doing better, trying harder, following through. Reminding Shade of vice and sin just as his mother was so obsessed with that idea. Church and god shoved down his throat constantly to the point he couldn't help but rebel. It was human nature after all.

His mother chastised him for his discretions that started small as he moved into middle school. Smoking, drinking, light drug use, skipping class, starting fights. Everyone knew Shade Dempsey and it wasn't for anything good. By high school he was getting into heavier things and the fighting was worse, not only with other students, but staff as well. It wasn't until he got into it heavy with his brother that he found out just how hard his 'dad' could hit. Zion was more powerful, but he'd never strike Shade. The same couldn't be said for Shade who was on a three day bender and ready to throw down. Granted this was after he'd gotten his girlfriend, a werewolf, pregnant when he was 15 getting him his first kid, Haze.

His father was ready to throw him out, but the patience of his mother allowed forgiveness where it wasn't deserved and she talked down his father allowing him to stay as long as he tried to improve himself and didn't fight with his brother again. Improving didn't last and he had his second kid at 16, Julian, with a celestial that was supposed to be helping him get on the right path. His family saw him heading on that downward spiral until his father finally had enough and at 17 he was thrown out of his house despite his mother and brother's protests. Nolan wasn't an angel and he wouldn't let Shade bring down his family along with himself.

It was hard to tell if Shade noticed a difference jumping from couch to couch of the delinquent friends he'd made becoming a dealer himself after dropping out of school. Of course he dealt the human drugs, which still had a good enough following to make him some cash. He was well beyond those and into heavier shit like vertigo, which introduced him to people like Seth Harper who was his main dealer for awhile. The two formed a friendship that came and went with their deals. During this time Shade had an overdose that his friends couldn't fix and dropped him at the hospital. Due to the amount of shit on his person and in his body he was forced into rehab where he met an unseelie faerie named Zia.

Forced clean the two kept talking once they left rehab and found themselves drawn to each other. Soon enough at 21 Shade had his third child, a halfling named Blaise. Zia made it four more years, while Shade slowly started to relapse once Blaise was born. Kids weren't really his thing and it showed. He was always harsh with Blaise, harsher than he should have been, which became a point of contention between him and Zia. During all of this Zion constantly did all he could to be a part of Shade's life despite his father's wishes. Eventually Zia relapsed and the two constantly brought out the worst in each other. Zion ended up taking Blaise when both were arrested, Shade again on possession with intent to deal and Zia on prostitution. Another round of failed rehab with Zia and Shade on and off again. Neither stable enough to raise their child.  

Zion did all he could to get Shade to recognize his worth and to try and make him want to raise the child he was on his behalf. It was Nolan who, once again, sought a means to an end seeing how this human was still, as an adult, ruining his wife and true son. He knew nothing they did would make Shade stop being a junkie unable to take responsibility for the kids he had or his own wife destined to bring down those who wished, after everything, to save him. Nolan worked with close friends and those in power to remove Shade from the city and the country offering him as a tribute. If he wanted to waste his life, then he could at a place like Krovs where no one in his family could save him.

It would have been a shitty time for Shade, who had no idea how he got there or what happened, so fucked up the night before he didn't even know he was taken to Russia until he was there. Even then it took him a few weeks to put everything together as his head cleared. Course, what his father didn't know was Seth Harper as at Krovs and still had a soft spot for him and claimed him as a slave. Course what Shade didn't share with Seth is he still had a lot of bad habits and a lot of secrets he wasn't ready to share. One of those being he stole things on a regular basis. When Raiden Proulx rented him and kicked the shit out of him, fair was fair in that he stole something to pawn off from the idiot ghoul. Needless to say, Raiden's reputation wasn't inflated. He indeed was a grade A psycho and ended up killing Shade. Which would have been a fitting end all things considered, but somehow Seth brought him back. He didn't know enough about witching to understand if that was really possible other than the fact he was alive. It made him wonder what the fuck Seth gave for that, but his, well he wasn't exactly sure what the two were, friend with benefits sounded right. Regardless Seth didn't seem concerned so Shade wasn't going to sweat it especially when the man helped get him purchased and to the village doing something he loved. Running his own restaurant as a chef.

As it stands Shade's torn on staying or going, not sure he's ready to face his family or what's waiting for him in Chicago, though sends what he can to help his kids there. He's not reached out to Zion despite the younger emailing him regularly about Blaise and everyone he left behind. Part of him wants to go back to Chicago, but another understands the baggage he left and isn't sure he can keep from being who he was there so he keeps working in the village trying to sort out what path is left to take.

Positive Traits: Charming, persistent, determined.

Negative Traits: Impulsive, oppositional, arrogant.

3 turn-ons: biting, bondage, restraint

3 turn-offs: daddy kink, cross dressing (on him), scat play

[cardandpixel]

RocketBook Flip - a rare review and it’s not a game!

Before I go any further, I feel I must point out that I don’t have any financial connection to RocketBook whatsoever – this isn’t a piece that was requested or courted by RocketBook or affiliates and I’m not receiving any reward or sponsorship either in product or direct payment for this article. I just like the damn thing and love it when an innovative piece of tech (in this case quite low key) just works. Hi I’m Paul, and I have a bit of a problem with notebooks – A4 lined, sketch, reporters, Black & Reds (ohhhh the sheer number of B&Rs), goofy ones, serious work ones, battered ones, pristine ‘for best only’ ones – and they all fill at an alarming rate. I make notes on everything. Working as a sound engineer and designer, there’s always mix notes, soundscape plots, ideas, VO notes and scripts, SFX ideas etc etc. At home it’s a very different story – it’s much worse. Game notes; blog notes; hurriedly scribbled quiz questions spurred by watching another episode of Mental Floss’ 500 facts about cheese; RPG notes and story ideas; my own script writing; world building; sketches; other creative ideas; song/music notes and ideas; and that’s before we get to to-do lists; and the dreaded ‘things I must remember’. So my journal life is many, varied and plenty. The usual issue is… ‘what frakking journal did I put that amazing idea in????’, and that’s way before we get to the utter horror that is possibly losing a whole journal or forgetting to bring one home from work. I’m 53, I forget more than I recall, and journals help bring some semblance of order to a massively chaotic and fertile brain. What I’ve needed for a long time is some way of organising all this info or centralising it in some way. Sure I’ve looked at apps – I used Things, Evernote, Notes, and One Note for years, and they are really, really good, but they relied on either having a charged device exactly when I need it (yeah – me too) or net access, which for a new-ish theatre, is surprisingly a bit of an issue at work. And the most important part – I actually enjoy the physical act of handwriting long-hand. I still write actual physical letters to people, it’s adorable and a bit creepy in this age, but I call it charming and leave it at that. Handwriting, for me, allows me time to think and process in a way that typing just doesn’t. Handwriting is slower, I rarely cross anything out, and so I always have the whole of the thought. So what I’ve ideally wanted for years, was a reliable way of organising all my notes and storing them electronically so I have access even without the actual journal, with OCR so they’re editable, and still being a tactile handwritten experience. I’m naturally a sceptic (I actually subscribe to Fortean Times – yeah – I card carry!) and so online ads and particularly FaceAche ads are a field day for critical thinking triggers. I don’t think I’ve ever received from Wish, exactly what I ordered from Wish. And so when an ad from RocketBook constantly kept popping up on my timeline a few weeks ago, I was naturally “it’ll never work” But their website looked legit enough – they had a dedicated UK shop, it was relatively steep to buy in but not so wild that if it didn’t work I wouldn’t be crying too much about the money wasted, and at the end of the day it was a 10th the price of a ReMarkable 2 which is actually what I thought would solve my problem. I’m furloughed at the mo and though I could argue the case for £300+ notebook (test me, I could), I just couldn’t justify it now. And RocketBook had a good summer intro offer. I ordered on the Wednesday, and the impressively glitzy and graphic-design-playbook poly package was dropped on my doorstep just 2 days later by my cheery postie who yelled up the drive “Package for ya, looks very exciting!!!!” I like that our postal service is still invested in the hopes and dreams of their customers. It was exciting. All the instructions for getting started with my new Teal RocketBook A4 Flip were right there before you even open it. The main body houses the pad and a cleaning cloth, and a clever little side pocket houses the supplied Pilot Frixion pen.

RocketBooks come in several models, all configured slightly differently. I have the Flip which is a top spiral-bound softback pad with 21 double sided ‘pages’ giving 42 pages in total. The Flip has lined paper one side, and dot paper on the reverse (great for D&D maps, impromptu tables, mixer channel plots etc)

DELIVERY & FIRST IMPRESSIONS The pads are nicely made, with sturdy covers (available in some really nice colours too) and a solid, thick plastic ring binding. Initially, The RocketBook does feel a bit odd. Its ‘pages’ are actually a synthetic polyester blend and feel quite shiny to the touch. The sort of surface you just instantly feel is not going to be great for ink! Each page is edge-to-edge lined or dotted with a heavy black border. At the bottom is a prominent QR code used for scanning and some very feint icons. These 7 icons are the key to the ease of use of the RocketBook series. But more later.

THE APP

The pads work with a companion app, that is absolutely free and available for Apple & Android. In fact, RB even do downloadable printable pages so you can try the whole system absolutely free before you buy – I didn’t, I just bought one, y’know. The app allows you to set up your destination locations, your preferences and does the actual scanning. Just one quick note, I have the app on both my phone and iPad and had to set-up the app the same for both, there appears to be no way of swapping preference settings between devices, though I can see why this may be intentional.

Currently, the RocketBook allows you to choose from the following locations to send files to: GoogleDrive, box, EverNote, DropBox, slack, OneNote, iCloud, OneDrive as well as simply to an email (or multiple) addresses and iMessage. Impressively, these are not fixed either, so you could choose your 7 destinations to be 7 email addresses of team members. These 7 locations are the icons at the bottom of each page. To select a destination for your file, you just make a mark in that icon box (tick, circle, something unsavoury) and that page will be sent to whichever you select. This makes the system very flexible indeed as not every page is necessarily sent to every destination. You always decide every time you fill a page. Change your mind on a second revision? No problem, add or change icons at any time and re-upload.

There’s a really handy table on the inside front cover for you to note what icon sends what where. This is also wipeable, so can be changed anytime.

I have mine set by default to:

Rocket > main email address (either as PDF, JPG, OCR embedded or as separate txt file)

Diamond > GoogleDrive (you can specify exactly what folder too)

Apple > iMessage

Bell > OneNote

That actually still leaves me 3 spare: shamrock; star; and horseshoe.

The app took me maybe 20mins to set-up, that included decision time for destinations and setting up a few target folders. It also included a few ‘test firings’. I didn’t get everything right first time and a few things didn’t send, but crucially, a tiny bit of digging revealed very simple troubleshooting (including the aforementioned issue with no sync’ing of phone and iPad), and all in I was finding the files in all the right destinations within about 30 mins. The website, FAQs and community are immensely helpful with any other issues as well. I had a tiny issue with OneNote seeming to take ages to sync, but I think that’s an issue with my OneNote settings, everything else was almost instantaneous. You can also handily set the app to auto-send as soon as it scans, or allow for manual review.

CLEAN UP ON AISLE ROCKETPAD The main reason I wanted to look at the RocketBook was the issue of reusability. My journal shenanigans are by no means the biggest ecological disaster on the planet, but if we are to believe Tesco (who probably issue as many receipts at our local Tesco Express in a day as journals I’ve ever used), every little helps. If I could find an ecologically better solution, I should at least take a look. The RocketPads work by partnering with Pilot pens called Frixion. The really clever bit is RB’s paper technology and how it works with the Frixion ink. At present, the pads only work with the Frixion pens – except the RB Colour which works with Crayola’s dry-erase crayons. When you write on the ‘paper’ with a Frixion pen, it remains wet for a few seconds and then dries pretty quickly. There’s no smudging whatsoever in transit, which is pretty cool. From then on, it may as well be permanent, until you have transmitted your page and decide you don’t want the text anymore.  To wipe the page clean, you can dampen the supplied cloth and just wipe the surface clean, it’s weird but it works! But then damp cloth in your bag? So I use kitchen roll to dampen, then wipe dry with theirs. Others even have an adorably kitsch spray bottle in their kit. RB reckon if you are not going to use the pad for a few months, to clean the pages as the ink can get trickier to shift after a long time, but for day-to-day use, I’ve tried writing and wiping well over 20x and the page hasn’t become discoloured or tarnished at all. The only pad different in the range is the Wave which cleans by microwaving! Do NOT do this with any of the others, bad things will happen. The ink doesn’t take scrubbing or any time to come up, I clean my pages in about 10-15s. The page can feel a little tacky when it’s damp, but leave a minute or so and the page will be back to normal. RB do say that odd things can happen if the book is left near a heatsource or in a hot car, vis-à-vis, the ink can completely disappear horrifyingly enough. They say that putting the pen or the pad in the freezer for a little while will actually restore the ink, but I’ve not tried it yet so can’t confirm or deny how that goes. Handy for spies in hot countries though, so there’s another target market. If you are always going to send your pages to the same places, then don’t erase the marked icons, and the page is ready for new notes straight away, otherwise, scrub them too.

I CAN’T READ YOUR WRITING – ARE YOU A DOCTOR? Initially, the RB pads send their files as scans of the pages in high contrast monochrome (colour is available) when you snap the page in the app (which auto-frames for you and takes maybe 10s to capture). The formats are either as images or PDF. If that had been it, I would have been quite happy, but the RB pads have another trick up their sleeve. Firstly, they have a function called ‘Smart Titles’ which allows you to name your files directly from the page by writing a filename between double hashtags ie ## this is my scrawl 24/8/20 ## and the file will pop up in your destinations with the filename “this is my scrawl 24/08/20” – this is insanely handy – there’s no protocol except your own and the hashtags, and it makes your files super easy to search. You can even send groups of pages as a single PDF. But the notebooks go even further. They actually offer full searchable OCR which the app can be set to send embedded in the PDF or image, or more usefully, as a companion separate .txt file. Now, my handwriting isn’t the neatest, but it’s not bad so I was prepared for some editing to be necessary, but impressively again, the OCR was about 90-95% accurate. In a page of text it missed maybe 3 or 4 words and even those not badly. This is all considering their full OCR is still only in beta! It gets confused with diagrams on the page, but that’s to be expected.

Text Generated by OCR: ## Blog post och test Aug 2020 ## This is a little demonstration of the OCR capabilities of the Rocket Book pads and app. I've told the lovely people that the hit rate is about 90-95% so please dant let me down here flip pad. Hopefully the file name will also prove another point further up in the section and not make me look like some charlatan or snake-oil salesman.Hope you enjoyed this demonstrahen, now go away and leave me to write the next great novella.Bye!

HOW MUCH? On average, I pay anywhere from £4-8 for a decent A4 notebook/journal, so at £30-37 (dependent on model), the RocketBook pads are not a whim purchase. That said, I get through a lot of journals in a year, and given that I would expect to easily get 2-3 years out of a RocketBook pad, then I’ve saved money. Will it replace all my notebooks? No. You need to be thinking of carrying this round as a kit: pad, Frixion pen (at least 2), and cloth.  RB do a series of portfolio sleeves for the pads but it does push the price up a bit still, but for a rep, engineer or salesperson, this still makes sense. They’re less bulky than a normal A4 pad too. What I would say is Tesco and Sainsbury’s currently stock Frixion pens and at much better prices than buying them from RB directly, I just paid £3 for 3 pens on offer at Tesco compared to £10 from RB. You get one pen with the pad, but you’re going to want more soon, so stock up next time you’re shopping for truffle oil crisps. If you use whiteboards a lot, RB also have you covered. Instead of the pad, £16 will get you a 4 pack of ‘beacons’ – little self-adhesive triangles that effectively do the same thing as the QR code in the pad. You don’t have the icon options obviously, but if you’re looking to distribute quick meeting or group notes, this would be a boon. CONCLUSION Considering this was a fairly speculative purchase on my part, my early experiences with the RocketBook Flip have been really impressive. The flexibility, the ability to store every page in a different location if you really wanted to make it fantastic for organising my notes, which can save me hours of finding the right ^^$&^$&$ notebook in the first place, then scouring that for the one paragraph I was looking for etc etc. The searchable text facility, in-app history for re-sending etc and last but no way least, functional handwriting OCR, makes the RocketBook not only novel, but actually useable! Would I buy another? As a second notebook – yes. I look forward to seeing what the actual longevity of the product is once I come off furlough and start cramming my day bag with all my junk and a notepad again, but yes, I’d probably just have one at home, and one for work, but make the last 5 mins of each day, scanning and sending work notes so I have them with me wherever. Impressively, the RocketBook Flip just works and it works well. ‘Er Across The Table has already sold several folk at her work on the idea and she doesn’t even have one herself yet! I love it. It’s taking a little adjusting to, but it’s all good. The most important thing though is the writing experience, and I have to say, the combination of the Frixion pen/ink and the polymer technology of the Flip, again, just works. It’s smooth, doesn’t skip or smudge for me (I know some right to left users and left handers have reported some issues) and feels great to write on. If anything I have to slow down a bit as the contact is so smooth that your writing can get a bit ahead of you! RocketBook have produced a cracker of a product. It might not seem like much, but if practical working journals are your thing (ie not create and keep things) then I can highly recommend the RocketBook series.

[razorblade180]

Lasting Embers part27: Winding down

The fifth day of final family bonding is in full effect. Midday sun shines down on Tenzen’s back yard where him and both his parents currently are. Friday’s were usually days when they decided to use the grill so why change up the tradition now? Might as well go a bit grander than usual, which is exactly what they did.

Mercury:*flipping burgers* Thanks for the invitation you two. It’s nice to have a moment of peace.

Emerald:Not to mention good food. Constantly going around the world is fun and all but you do not always end up near good restaurants.

Nora:*wearing an apron* No problem you two. The food would be better if Ren was helping but as you can see.....

Tenzen:*fully powered and standing still*

Ren:*watching him*

Nora:He’s busy at the moment.

Emerald:I don’t mind the light show. It’s actually kinda pretty.

Orange and pink aura flow upward into the air as usual when his semblance is in use. The added effect of lightning of the same color crackles calmly around his body thanks to his close and once again his usual appearance has had a color swap. Nora honestly thinks the pink hair with an orange strip looks better on him. Not to mention his orange eyes.

Mercury:You know it might be a good idea to change your semblance name before you go to beacon and everyone sees it.

Tenzen:What’s wrong with Overflow? It’s literally what my aura is doing.

Mercury:Yeah but is it cool? There’s other things you could call it to make it slightly cooler. Like Over Soul....

Nora:Limit Break!

Emerald:Soul Surge.....

Ren:Oooo that’s a good one.

Tenzen:Hey! I thought you were gonna be on my side?

Ren:It was just a thought. You ready to attempt your new move?

Tenzen:*shakes out his arms and legs* All right, let’s see if I’ve improved.

He takes a deep breath and puts his hands together. Slowly his aura stops flowing up and starts concentrating itself behind him. Everybody watches intently as it starts to take the shape of a silhouetted version of himself. It increases in a size a bit bigger than him and starts moving independently before fading away. Sweat drips down the poor boys face.

Ren:You got it to move and last longer this time.

Tenzen:*huff* Yeah but it isn’t near perfect yet. Man....*huff* I usually don’t have too much trouble with aura manipulation.

Ren:Nobody has ever done anything like you are right now. I’m learning new things just by watching you.

Mercury:Uhh what did I just see? It was almost like seeing monkey boy’s semblance but more intense.

Nora:Tenzen as exceptional aura control and can use it ways most people can’t thanks to his semblance. He’s moved it around freely in small ways like wrapping it around people for protection or to grab them. Now he’s actually trying to mold it into things.

Mercury:So you choose yourself?

Tenzen:It’s both the easiest and most complex thing I can think of right now. After that maybe I could get crazy with it.

Mercury:.....

Mercury:You gave yourself a Stand.....

Tenzen:Why would you say something like that..?

Emerald:As far as semblances go I think Tenzen might have the weirdest I’ve ever seen. I mean your aura seems boundless yet you still run out like everyone else.

Tenzen:I like to think of it sort of like a stamina bar. Let’s say my regular bar reaches up to 100% and my aura ranges in between that number and zero. My semblance breaks that cap and makes my aura amount 500%. Yeah it gives me way more to work with but instead of my semblance just eating away at my aura, it eats away at the bar itself. So when it’s all said and done, I can end up with a bar that can only hold 25%

Emerald:Sounds tricky; you’ll end up only being able to take minimum damage if that happens. Is that what happened in the woods?

Tenzen:Basically, I’m surprised what aura I had held up against me falling from the cliff. What makes things scarier is I knew even with Jaune around to use his semblance it wouldn’t help much. We’ve tested it before and it would restore the aura but not the bar; that only comes back with time.

Mercury:Yet despite all of that you rushed in to save everyone. Risky move but respectable.

Nora:Please don’t make that habit.....

Tenzen:Mmmm no promises. *smiles*

Nora:*grumbles* Why are you like me?

Ren:Alright, you seem like you still have more than enough power to attempt your other move.

Tenzen:*Grinning* Oh we’re way pass me “attempting” it. I was actually going to try it in training but then all the cult shenanigans happened.

Emerald:(Shenanigans, he makes it sound like it’s not the craziest thing in the world. Well....it kinda isn’t but still)

Once a again he takes a calming breath before bending his right arm and stares at his hand. Aura and lightning dust travel down to his palm until his hand is engulfed in it.

Tenzen:Done.....

Ren:How!? When did you- *smiles* it took me forever how to influence my aura with dust. You really are a genius at this stuff.

Tenzen:Well it helps I have the best teacher ever. *powers down*

Nora:Wow, I see how it is. Not like we spent countless nights together sparring and perfecting that together.

Tenzen:That’s because you’re the best mom ever. *hugs her* I love you!!!!!

Nora:I love you too my little ninja.

“You still go by little ninja?”

Everyone turns to see Yujin walking into the backyard. She has a white sack over her shoulder.

Yujin:Sup sherbet head.

Tenzen:First of all, that nickname can die. Second, why are you here?

Yujin:Want me to leave?

Tenzen:I didn’t say that at all. Just surprised is all.

Yujin:Home is a little.....lonely. I tell dad to spend time with Yang and sitting on my porch gets old. So I thought “why not go see Tenzen?”

Tenzen:*smirks* So you’re here for me?

Yujin:*red* Don’t make this weird.

Ren:Well obviously you are welcomed here anytime.

Mercury:Too bad you didn’t bring any food to this little cookout.

Yujin:*pulls chips out the bag* I know how Friday’s work around here.

Mercury:New favorite person right here. Besides Emerald of course.

Emerald:Nice save dork.

Yujin:I hate to ask but is there any chance I can inspect all of your weapons?

Tenzen:*squints* I know your game.....

Yujin:*nervous* Pfft what game?

Tenzen:Did you come here to socialize or get weapon ideas?

Yujin:.......Can’t it be both?

Tenzen:Will it?

Yujin:*grabs his arms* Let me tinker around with my weapon please? If I have one more emotional conversation I might fall apart. Do you want me to fall apart in your backyard? I’ve learned to cry really easily the pass five days. I’m holding back tears right now man!

Tenzen:......

Yujin:*tearing up*....

Tenzen:Oh you weren’t joking! Uhh fine, just-

Yujin:Thanks!

Just like that she emptied what was left in the bag to reveal a sketch pad and some intricate tools for salvaging whatever she can from her sword. By the time he looked back up at her she had her hair in a ponytail and glasses on.

Yujin:I already know where you guys keep all your weapons so....*darts off*

Emerald:How does she know that?

Tenzen:Don’t ask me. Maybe her real semblance is sniffing out weapons. At least she’s happy.

Nora:How has she been about all this? Her face looks kinda paler than usual. Also a bit thinner?

Tenzen:She actually looked worse a few days ago.Looks like things are getting a bit better but I’m worried it might not stick. After all, leaving day is soon. That’s gonna hard on her.

Nora:Don’t forget yourself....

Brief silence comes after that statement. All adults looking at him sadly as he just looks at the ground for a moment. The mood changes though when he raises his head with a smile.

Tenzen:I’ll be just fine! Sure I’ll miss all you guys but honestly school might keep me busy and you all will be back before I know it. I am looking at some of the most capable fighters in Remnant after all.

Mercury:*wraps arm around him and Emerald* Thanks kid, the cult won’t know what hit em!

Emerald:Hell yeah! *all three laughing*

Nora:*frowning at Ren*.....

Ren:I know. He’s not gonna talk about it though. I’ve tried everything.

Nora......!!! We’re not completely out of options yet. I gonna go check on Yujin.

Ren:Please don’t be pushy.

Nora:Mmmmm no promises. *smiles*

Inside Yujin was having a field day. Her house was nothing quite like there’s seeing how the entire building actually uses to house other people like an apartment studio. Now different floors have different functions. Their living room and kitchen were connected on the first floor since it was more than big enough. The spiral staircase upstairs led upstairs to a hallway with rooms for four people which she always found weird. Two of course were their rooms and at best a third round would occupy Merc and Em. Maybe the fourth room was for her or Jaune if they visited? She could not imagine sleeping under the same roof as Tenzen; especially with what happened recently. There was a final door upstairs that obviously was the restroom.

Nora:Hey Yujin can we have a minute to chat!?

Yujin:I’m on the dance floor!

Nora:*going upstairs* You know we do more than dance up here right?

Yujin:I know, but anytime Tenzen sends a video of him doing a routine it’s in here.

She was setting on the floor with her sketch pad. Different designs of everyone’s weapons over the years were set in front of her.

Nora:Woah, you found all of them.

Yujin:From Beacon days, the fall, Salem quest modifications, post Salem, etc. they are all so similar but different. I’m hoping one of these will spark an idea. Transforming weapons was never my finest skill set. Made too many moving parts or not enough to help. *Sketching*

Nora:Turning a sword into gauntlets sounds rough. Why not just make gauntlets with hidden blades.

Yujin:My sword skills depend on me being to do things like twirl it and hold it backhanded sometimes. Merging the two limits that. I need to find away to fluidly transition in between them. The way Ren’s blade retract in is giving me a few ideas but not much.

Nora:(I don’t think I’ve seen so many sketches for one weapon since Jaune tried to change his.)

Yujin:Maybe I should forget the gauntlets all together? Sigh, not like they’ve been useful.... *slumps shoulders*

Nora:....Are you-

Yujin:It’ll pass, don’t worry about me. *keeps sketching*

Nora:Yujin I have a favor to ask you.

Yujin:Sure thing Mrs.Valkyrie.

Nora:You know you can just call me Nora?

Yujin:I know, but I like saying your last name since it’s cool.

Nora:*smiles* I would say call me Auntie but that might be weird since you’re crushing on my son.

The pencil breaks as she accidentally put too much pressure on it. Why is she always getting caught off guard like this? It’s like the entire world is trying to make her deal with at least one emotional problem a day. Blood rushes to her face and her ears turn red as memories from two days ago surface.

Yujin:I....*mumbles* Tenzen is just a friend....

Nora:I wonder how many times I said that about Ren? Admitting it helps a lot you know? *smirking* I’m not saying go confront him about it; I realize how much of a flirt my wild child is. Personally I blame all his fans.

Yujin:I cannot tell you how many people I see wearing a shirt with his mask on it. “Nobody dances like TZ!” It’s like everyone goes a bit crazy for him and they don’t even know him.

Nora:His personality and energy are very infectious. A people pleaser like him knows how to keep spirits up. That’s actually why I wanted to talk to you.

Yujin:???

Nora:It might not be noticeable but Tenzen also has his hangs up like you.

Yujin:Really? He seems fine and calm about most things that happen. It honestly makes me a bit jealous seeing him handle stress so well.

Nora:He gets that from his father. Still he has them for sure. My son is just the type to put his problems on the back burner and prioritize everyone else. Problem is he never takes a moment to himself and faces them until it’s a bit late.

Yujin:Huh, I had no idea. Actually, the other day I did mention how much I admired how strong he was compared to me in situations and he was about to say something until he got cut off. Can’t say if it was about his problems but he did seem....sad.

Nora:Listen, I doubt he’ll tell anyone how he feels about everything going right now but I do know they’ll come out eventually when it’s too late. Can you just make sure to check in on him sometimes when we leave? I want him to have a person to talk to when he needs it.

Yujin:Oh of course! Can’t say I can really picture him needing my help much but I’ll be there.

Nora:*smiles* That’s a relief. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if he suffered in silence after we left. My heart wouldn’t take it.

Yujin:......Nora, you’re a good mom.

Nora:Yang is better, or at least in my opinion.

Yujin:Agree to disagree.

Nora:Not even going to entertain this conversation huh?

Yujin:Not in the slightest.

..........

Nora:.........It’s not really my place to pry but I hope you know she loves you and right now the things you’re doing are really hurting her-

Yujin:She’s hurt me my whole life!

The entire room echoes with that yell. Nora just stares calmly as the girls anger quickly vanishes as it came.

Yujin:Sorry I.....I didn’t mean to yell at you. That was wrong.

Nora:It happens. *grabs her hand*

Yujin:Why does it feel like people are taking sides? *trembling* The way everyone keeps praising her and just wants me forgive makes it feel like I’m wrong for acting this way. Everyone seems to be on her side while I’m just alone.

Nora:Trust me when I say nobody thinks you’re wrong for being upset. It’s just we know Yang and that she is doing everything she can and more for you. We want you to see that. Leaving you a second time is killing her but sometimes hard choices have to be made. Even if that choice feels wrong. You know about Pyrrha right?

Yujin:Of course, without her I might not even be here.

Nora: For a long time her sacrifice didn’t feel like the right call. Going off to a fight she couldn’t win felt like nothing but a waste; especially to Jaune. Looking back on it though we couldn’t have been more wrong. Pyrrha gave people precious time to keep evacuating and Ruby might not have found out about her powers without her help. That dragon certainly would’ve done more harm.

Yujin:.....

Nora:I’m not saying you have to forgive your mother right now. But I do hope that one day you can look back at all this and take some sort of pride from the fact that she’s doing it to protect everyone; including you most of all. By the way *smiles* I think the gauntlet part of your weapon is one of the coolest parts.

Yujin:Nora, can I ask you for something? It’s...*red* a bit strange. You’re not my mom but.....I mean I would like it if you-

Nora calmly pulls her into a hug. Allowing the girl to just rest into her embrace. Her heart rate starts to speed up and her breath a little heavy. She’s crying into Nora’s shirt heavily with no signs of stopping.

Yujin:How’d you know?

Nora:It’s all I ever wanted as a kid too.

Yujin:The worst part about this feeling is it won’t last. You’re leaving too.

Nora:*tightens hug*(You poor child. )

[Tai’s house]

Ruby:Downloading and uploading countless videos across different scrolls and onto a computer is one thing. Putting those files in chronological order, making sure they aren’t corrupted and then onto a scroll with enough space is an entirely different ball game. People who use computers for a living have my respect.

Jaune:You can take a break if you want. We still have two days left.

Ruby:*holds up scroll* I’m done. Do we have coffee?

Jaune:What!?

Ruby:Coffee, I’ve been up for a full day doing this. I would like-

Jaune:You finished with two days to spare? Ruby that’s-

Ruby:I know, “Ruby you’re so amazing!” I appreciate praise but right now I feel like I’m dreaming.

Jaune:Cream and five sugars?

Ruby:Black......

Jaune:*eyes widened*..........who are you?

Ruby:I need a drink that’s gonna slap me in the face. Plus I’m a grown woman.

Jaune:*hands her a mug* So all that’s left is the journal then.

Ruby:Don’t forget to wrap it all up. *sips*....... hey can you put-

Jaune:*hands her another mug* Cream and sugars in it?

Ruby:*red* You suck....

Jaune:You swallow.....

Ruby:But you still kiss me afterwards.*finger gun* damn where’s Yang when I need her? That was a good comeback.

Jaune:*points to the couch*

Yang:*passed out*Zzzzzzz

Ruby:Guess she needed a break too. I hope she can stay awake on look out when we leave. This stress might get to her.

Jaune:Both of you don’t talk much about what happened over the decade. Almost like you’re avoiding it.

Ruby:Not really, wasn’t much to say. Travel, hide, spy, kill, hunt, research.... It felt like a giant manhunt honestly. They were constantly looking for us while we looked for them. Only difference is they also had to spend time progressing their plans. We had some cool fights and close calls. More than I would like.

Jaune:You ready to go back?

Ruby:Ready as I’ll ever be. It’s wrong to say but I think of piece of me was relieved to learn the mission wasn’t over yet. Starting to move forward made me a bit anxious. Am I wrong for that?

Jaune:*shrugs* Consider this a chance to do the mission the right way. You’re the one who said that this time around it’s not about vengeance.

Ruby:That’s right; protecting others are serving justice. Just like it should be.

Yang:*waking up* I’ll drink to that. Someone poor me some cof-*handed a mug*

Jaune:It’s black coffee.

Yang:Is there any other way to drink it? *downs it admittedly*

Ruby:*shudders* That will always freak me out. Good news, the scroll is done. How’s the journal coming along.

Yang:Honestly I do not know anymore. I write but I keep wondering if any of it is actually any good. I’m worried she won’t even read it.

Jaune:She’ll read it. Maybe not in the beginning but she’ll definitely read it eventually.

Yang:I hope so. The other problem is how can anyone express everything they want to say to their kid with just one journal? There’s no time to make another one and everything I write in this one keeps reminding of more things I want to tell her. Before I know it I’m at end of a page and I still haven’t told her everything I think she should hear. *looks at it* Pouring out your emotions onto paper has been more frustrating than fighting Salem.

Jaune:Sigh, what’s with the women in this family struggling with emotions but excelling in combat. All three of you have that same exact problem which is surprising. Tai seems to be fine at sharing feelings and he’s the only DNA link you all share.

Yang:*grumbles*........

Ruby:I think you’ve been thinking of this journal wrong. It’s not meant to replace you or even say farewell. Think of it more as “see you later.” Because you will see her later Yang Xiao Long. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. So stop treating it like it’s the last thing you’ll ever do for her.

Jaune:She’s right. It’s not like you to prepare for the worst. You always plan for the best!

Yang:......

Jaune and Ruby: *smiling*........

Yang:Sigh, who am I to resist a double leader pep talk? *grabs it* better get back to work then.

[Menagerie,Oasis]

Adam:*packing* Jacquelyn can you hand me my flashlight?

Jacquelyn:Here you go. Finally packing for the trip?

Adam:Don’t wanna forget anything last minute. It counts as work but it has to be done.

Jacquelyn:Fair enough. I mean Jael has been packing for beacon for awhile too.

Adam:I’ve noticed, she’s packing like her spot is already guaranteed there.

Jacquelyn:You don’t think she is gonna pass the exam?

Adam:I do, I’m just glad she does too. I’d be concerned if she packed light.

Jacquelyn:It’s weird to think everyone is leaving so soon. Sienna’s missions for the shadows, your mission, Jael’s entrance and initiation exam. Things are going to get lonely around here.....

Adam:I’ve actually been thinking about that. *stands up* what do you say about going on another venture across the world when Jael gets in? You haven’t done that in years.

Jacquelyn:That’s an option. It wouldn’t feel right though. I’ve gotten used to having someone to talk to on those trips. *holds his hand* he was never much for conversation but he kept me company.

Adam:He also tried attacking you a few times.

Jacquelyn:Yeah but I could beat him with one hand tied behind my back; still can. *smirks*

Adam:Oh so you’re that confident.

Jacquelyn:You’re strong my love but face it, I’ve always been too much for you to handle. *rubs his face*

Adam:Sounds like a challenge I just might except. *grabs her waste*

Jacquelyn:Careful, I don’t accept challenges with rewards. I just might have you try to put another baby in me if you lose.

Adam:I’d do that win or lose regardless.

Jacquelyn:Who are you and what have you done with Adam?

Adam:I’m Jacquelyn Frost’s husband *leans closer* so in other words I’m the luckiest man alive.

Both of them start kissing and getting a bit handsy when-

Jael:*red* Ahem!!

Adam:......

Jacquelyn:*grinning* Hi sweetie!!!!

Jael:......Dinner is ready. *slowly walks away*

Sienna:*walks by with her ears covered* You two are gross.

Adam:*face palms* We forgot about the door and their hearing.

Sienna:Speak for yourself. They’re old enough to know to leave the house when this happens. *happily hugging him* I at least wanted to have one fun day out of the week. Don’t tell me I’m the only one who’s thought about it?

Adam:........

Adam:*red* Tomorrow.....

Jacquelyn:You here that you little wild flowers!?

Sienna and Jael:Unfortunately!!!!!

Adam:Let’s go eat dinner.

Jacquelyn:Kay!